
A home win quickly looked unlikely, with the Dragons’ light flyweight He Junjun taking the honour of winning the first bout of the season, his energy keeping him on top against the tough Turkish southpaw Hamza Kartal. Having overcome his early nerves, Junjun turned up the heat in the third round, landing some excellent counter-punches to secure a fourth career WSB win and a dream start for the visitors.
London 2012 Olympian Yakup Sener. The Turkish team’s most experienced boxer steadied the ship with a masterful and controlling display, his quick jabs proving too much for his fleet-footed opponent Meng Caicheng. As the judges awarded Sener the bout, Turkey were suddenly given a route back into the match.
The China Dragons' 28-year-old middleweight Zhao Minggang then had the opportunity to take the tie beyond the home team’s reach against Evren Tibukoglu, five years his junior. Zhao landed cleanly in the opening round, but a series of lethal uppercuts from Tibukoglu in the second round handed him control of the bout and ultimately brought Turkey back to 2-2 on the night.
With the match wonderfully poised, Turkey’s top heavyweight Seyda Keser seized the moment to deliver a stunning performance and an unlikely victory for the home team. The Dragons’ 20-year-old Yu Fengkai rarely looked in the contest and was knocked down in the second round before his team called time on the bout, leaving Turkey to celebrate an incredible victory in a frantic packed arena.