Olympic Champions at the 2012 Sportel Monaco

Lausanne – Switzerland, Oct 15,  2012: World Series of Boxing (WSB) is delighted to announce that it will hold a press conference on Tuesday 16 October 9.30 am at the 2012 Sportel Monaco.

Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, WSB Board Chairman and Mr Ivan Khodabakhsh, WSB Chief Executive Officer will be joined on stage by Ukrainian superstars Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, both Gold Medallists at the 2012 Olympic Games, as well as Italian icon Clemente Russo, Silver Medallist in London.

“This is an exciting moment for WSB”, stated Dr Wu. “50 WSB boxers from the first two seasons qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games with seven of them winning medals in London. Just two months after the closing of the Games, WSB has already secured the presence of these two Ukrainian boxing legends and I have no doubt that some more big guns will join them soon. I can’t wait for the Season III to kick-off in November”.

WSB will take this opportunity to present its new official TV Agency for Season III, Fighting Spirit.

Vasyl Lomachenko (UKR): Lightweight (57-61kg)

Major achievements

2012 – Olympic Games (London, GBR) – Gold medal

2008 – Olympic Games (Beijing, CHN) – Gold medal

2011 – AIBA World Championships (Baku, AZE) – Gold medal

2009 – AIBA World Championships (Milan, ITA) – Gold medal

2008 – European Championships (Liverpool, ENG) – Gold medal

Considered by many to be the best pound for pound Olympic boxer, 24-year-old Lomachenko is a boxing superstar in the making. Now a two-time Olympic gold medallist after his success in the Featherweight (57kg) category at the 2008 Beijing Games and at Lightweight in London, he is also a two-time AIBA World Champion after triumphing both in Milan in 2009 and in Baku in 2011. He is coached by his father and is well respected amongst his peers.

Oleksandr Usyk (UKR): Light Heavyweight (80-85kg)

Major achievements

2012 – Olympic Games (London, GBR) – Gold medal

2011 – AIBA World Championships (Baku, AZE) – Gold medal

2009 – AIBA World Championships (Milan, ITA) – Bronze medal

2008 – European Championships (Liverpool, ENG) – Gold medal

2008 – Olympic Games (Beijing, CHN) – Quarter-finalist

2009 – AIBA President’s Cup (Baku, AZE) – Gold medal

The dominant force at Heavyweight over the past two years, Usyk recently added the Olympic title to his World crown to firmly establish himself as the undisputed Heavyweight king in the world today.

The charismatic Ukrainian was destined to be a footballer but switched to boxing at the age of 15 after receiving a red card in a game. At 190cm tall, he is deceptively fast and packs so much power in his punches. The 25-year-old has a great tactical brain and with his silky skills, he has the world at his feet.

The Ukrainian head coach Dmitro Sosnovskiy is building a talented squad to compete in the WSB and Usyk is considered one of the best. He always prays before bouts and is inspired by his year old daughter, Yelizaveta.

Clemente Russo (ITA): Heavyweight (91+kg)

Major achievements

2012 – Olympic Games (London, GBR) – Silver medal

2012 – WSB Team Champion

2008 – Olympic Games (Beijing, CHN) – Silver medal

2007 – AIBA World Championships (Chicago, USA) – Gold medal

2005 – AIBA World Championships (Almeria, ESP) – Gold medal

2011 – WSB World Champion

2009 – Mediterranean Games (Pescara, ITA) – Gold medal

2000 – AIBA Junior World Championships (Budapest, HUN) – Bronze medal

WSB Record: 14 – 0 (13WP / 1 TKO)

A two-time Olympic silver medallist, Clemente Russo is a superstar in his native Italy. He is also the big star of the WSB, having won the 2011 WSB Individual Championships and having captained the Milano Thunder to victory in the 2012 WSB Team Final, he remains to this day undefeated in the competition, boasting a 14 wins no loss record.

The 30-year-old starred in the much acclaimed ‘Tatanka’, a film about a boxer who escapes the clutches of the mafia to make it as boxer. His wife, Laura Maddaloni is a former Italian National Champion in judo and their wedding was almost a national event. His coaches are Giulio Coletta and Michele Caldarella in Milan. —- WSB