WELTER 69 KG - FRIDAY, 24 JULY (20:00 GMT+7)
Location: Kemerovo – Venue: Arena Sports & Entertainment Complex
Zamkovoi and Kate set for crunch Welterweight clash in Kemerovo
The incredible AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) Cycle I Round 2 series of matches continues on Friday night in Kemerovo, Russia as four key Welterweight (69 kg) bouts will be available to watch live and free from 20:00 (GMT +7) at https://www.youtube.com/user/AIBAproboxingTV.
Zamkovoi has won four of his five matches in APB, and is eager to qualify for Rio 2016 after winning bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Although he struggled in his opening APB matches, the 33-year-old two-time AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Kate was phenomenal in Round 1 when he turned on the style superbly against number one ranked Ray 'Boom Boom' Okwiri (KEN).
His Russian opponent edged a tight decision in his Round 1 match with Eimantas Stanionis (LIT), and will be looking for a more decisive performance in front of his passionate supporters in Kemerovo.
“I would like to thank all of the fans in Kemerovo, who have supported me during the bout against Stanionis. It gave me the strength I needed and I really hope that I will experience the same support in Round 2. I have trained very hard and I think I’m much better prepared for this upcoming bout”, said Zamkovoi.
At 33-years-old, Kate is one of the most experienced boxers in this competition so will not be fazed by the partisan crowd, and the Hungarian is fearless in the ring from beginning to end.
“I’ve been training tirelessly with my coach and I am currently in a very good shape. I am confident that I will win this bout”, he said.
Both competitors offer relatively similar styles in the ring, with Zamkovoi a pressure fighter who loves to attack his opponents with clubbing shots, while Kate’s excellent upper body movement allows him to utilise dangerous hooks from either hand.
Another prominent bout will take place on the undercard involving Arisnoidys Despaigne (CUB), who made history in Round 1 by becoming the first Cuban athlete to compete in APB.
The 2013 AIBA World Championships silver medalist dominated his bout with Dimitros Tsagkrakos (GRE), but faces a difficult challenge on Friday night against 2013 AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Araik Marutjan.
Despaigne is incredibly strong and superbly fast, while Marutjan is a rapid combination puncher with plenty of heart.
Two further Welterweight matches will feature in Russia, beginning with an intriguing clash between Amin Ghasemi Pour (IRI) and Dimitros Tsagrakos (GRE), while both Ray 'Boom Boom' Okwiri (KEN) and Eimantas Stanionis (LIT) will be looking for a vital victory in order to move up the APB rankings.
Match schedule:
- Amin GHASEMI POUR (IRI) vs Dimitrios TSAGKRAKOS (GRE)
- Araik MARUTJAN (GER) vs Arisnoidys DESPAIGNE (CUB)
- Rayton OKWIRI (KEN) vs Eimantas STANIONIS (LTU)
- Andrei ZAMKOVOI (RUS) vs Gyula KATE (HUN)
Location: Marrakesh – Venue: Palais des Congres
APB Super Heavyweights Arjaoui and Nistor bid for mastery in Marrakesh
A magnificent evening of AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) Cycle I Round 2 action takes place on Friday night, when the giant Super Heavyweight (91+ kg) division make their mark on Marrakesh, Morocco.
From 22:30 (GMT +1), viewers around the world will be available to watch local favourite Mohammed Arjaoui (MAR) take on Mihai Nistor (ROU) live and free at https://www.youtube.com/user/AIBAproboxingTV.
There is a lot on the line for the winner of this bout, as the triumphant boxer will become the number one contender for APB Super Heavyweight Champion Erik Pfeifer (GER), while also earning a qualification quota for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the process.
Arjaoui is a tremendously courageous and resilient boxer, and won three of his first four APB bouts on points after several controlling performances.
He famously faced Erik Pfeifer in the inaugural APB Super Heavyweight World Title Bout back in January, but although the Moroccan fighter worked hard throughout the bout, the final scorecards read 78:74 across the board in favour of Pfeifer, who became the very first man in this competition to win a title.
Four-time Romanian National Champion Nistor defeated Magomed Omarov (RUS) in the last round, and the man who won the first ever match in APB is intent on making history once again.
Nistor lacks the experience of competing over the longer format however as his bout with Omarov was stopped early in the fourth round, while his fleet-footed African opponent has proven ability to fight through all eight rounds of significant matches.
An awkward southpaw, Nistor is relatively short for a Super Heavyweight, but uses his height as a frequently effective weapon when he fires off damaging shots from close range.
With supremely high stakes involved in the bout, the superbly loud Marrakesh crowd will cheer on their beloved Arjaoui as much as they can, but the resolute Nistor has the ability to soak up the pressure and calmly follow his tactics.
A second Super Heavyweight clash features on the undercard, where Ali Eren Demirezen (TUR) faces Istvan Bernath (HUN).
Demirezen sensationally stopped Tony Yoka (FRA) in his last match, while the powerful Bernath makes his APB debut in Morocco.
Match schedule:
- Ali DEMIREZEN (TUR) vs Istvan BERNATH (HUN)
- Mohammed ARJAOUI (MAR) vs Mihai NISTOR (ROM)