The second day of the AIBA World Championships got underway in Doha with an afternoon session that delivered big names, stylish boxing and two knockouts
Early on Wednesday afternoon, 19-year-old Venezuelan flyweight Yoel Finol went into the ring as favourite against Zarip Jumayev, and the Turkmenistan’s number one’s strong combination punching wasn’t enough to stop Finol’s waves of attacks.
“I thank God for winning my opening bout in Doha. I felt great through the whole bout and I tried to keep my opponent under pressure… but I know this was only the first step,” said Venezuela’s WSB boxer Finol short after the bout.
It was the second knockout of a big-hitting session of boxing, following Egypt’s Walid Said Mohamed’s despatching of the Filipino welterweight Eumir Marcial with the referee’s ten-count coming in the very first round.
Netherlands’ WSB boxer Enrico La Cruz, one of the most promising Europeans in the lightweight class, could not overcome Italian legend Domenico Valentino, who has claimed five medals in the last five editions of the AIBA World Boxing Championships, including the gold in 2009.
Earlier in the session, Georgia’s EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships silver medallist Otar Eranosyan suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of Ukrainian wildcard Tymur Beliak, before Qatar’s Hakan Murst Nuraydin delighted the home crowd by defeating Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Dzemal Bosnjak in the light heavyweight category.