The second ever World Series of Boxing (WSB) African derby between Algeria Desert Hawks and Morocco Atlas Lions is one of the highlights in week 13 of the competition.
With just two matches to go in the Regular Season for both teams, the bragging rights for an entire continent will be decided after this fixture.
Morocco won the first meeting 3-2 in Casablanca, but Algeria will be desperate for revenge in their last home match of the season.
Chalane Hocine, Blida is the venue for this Group A clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 19:00 (GMT +1) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
With just two matches to go in the Regular Season for both teams, the bragging rights for an entire continent will be decided after this fixture.
Morocco won the first meeting 3-2 in Casablanca, but Algeria will be desperate for revenge in their last home match of the season.
Chalane Hocine, Blida is the venue for this Group A clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 19:00 (GMT +1) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
The Light flyweights (49 kg) open proceedings in Blida where Algeria’s 0-4 Zoheir Toudjine faces Morocco’s 1-4 Zouhir El Bekkali.
No Algerian Light flyweight has won a match this season, while El Bekkali achieved Morocco’s lone victory at the weight class in week three when he defeated Britain’s Ashley Williams.
El Bekkali was stopped in round two of his last match by Mexico’s Joselito Velázquez Altamirano, while Toudjine has gone the distance in all four of his bouts so could have the advantage in terms of fitness and stamina.
0-3 Bantamweight (56 kg) Fahem Hammachi was last seen in action for Algeria on the losing end of a split decision verdict against Britain’s Sean McGoldrick, and he returns to action this week when he meets 2-2 Mohamed Hamout.
The Moroccan has lost both of his away matches in Season V, but has beaten top quality opposition at home including Ukraine’s Mykola Butsenko and Britain’s Qais Ashfaq which means he will be the favourite to succeed despite being the away fighter.
Ahmed Boudiaf has been one of Algeria’s best boxers across the campaign, with two home successes out of three attempts.
His opponent in the African derby is 1-5 Light welterweight (64 kg) Hamza El Barbari who superbly defeated Ukraine’s Dmytro Grynchenko in his last contest to seal a memorable victory for Morocco.
Boudiaf and El Barbari are very accomplished fighters, and their clash is sure to be an all-action affair that could be a crucial match on the night.
Ilyas Abbadi is ranked number eight in the Middleweight (75 kg) rankings, which means the Desert Hawk will be full of confidence when he battles Said Harnouf.
Abbadi achieved his third successive home win a fortnight ago against AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Anthony Fowler, while Harnouf has gone the distance in all four of his fights this season.
The last bout in Blida is at Heavyweight (91 kg) where Bouziane Houna seeks his second Algerian victory against Morocco’s 1-1 Amine Azzouzi.
Three Olympic quotas on the line as Caciques Venezuela meet Italia Thunder
An excellent World Series of Boxing (WSB) clash takes place this weekend between Caciques Venezuela and Italia Thunder.
The Venezuelan Franchise have excelled in their first WSB season, winning four of their five home matches and producing many excellent moments across the campaign.
Italy has won three of their last four matches, and are third in the Group B table, three points ahead of Venezuela.
Only the top three teams in the group will reach the knockout stages of the competition, so Venezuela need to win their penultimate match of the Regular Season to overtake the Italians.
As well as the high stakes for both teams in this fixture, three members of the Italia Thunder team are also heavily in contention to earn a qualification quota for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, so all need to win their last match of the group stages.
Estadio Polideportivo José María Vargas, Maiquetía is the venue for this Group B clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:00 (GMT -4.5) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
Ireland’s Patrick Barnes has dominated the Light flyweight (49 kg) division in WSB this season, and is ranked number one in the weight class after six consecutive victories for Italy.
With one match to go, Barnes is two points ahead of nearest rival Hasanboy Dusmatov which means all he has to do in Maiquetía is win on points and he will finish in the number one position.
Only one Light flyweight will earn a Rio quota, which makes success in Venezuela essential for the Irish star.
That could be a difficult task however, as his opponent is Venezuela’s sixth ranked Yoel Finol who has won four matches this season, and has not dropped a single round in his last three contests.
Barnes has won five of his six bouts via points, including in his three away appearances, while Finol is undefeated at home in Venezuela.
This is a difficult match to predict as both boxers have excellent skills and boast the ability to control fights, but Barnes needs to win this contest, and that fact could mean the two-time Olympic medalist has the edge in the fight.
Michael Conlan is an Irish international teammate of Barnes, and a fellow member of Italia Thunder where he has amassed a 4-2 record across Season V.
The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist is currently fourth in the Bantamweight (56 kg) rankings, and with two quotas available, the Irish competitor has to rely on the failures of those above him in order to secure a top two finish.
He also has to defeat Venezuela’s 2-3 José Vicente Azocar away from home, which will be a tough mission as Azocar has won two of his last three matches.
5-1 Italian Vincenzo Mangiacapre is the third Thunder fighter in contention to earn an Olympic quota, and the second ranked Light welterweight (64 kg) fights 2-3 Luis Arcón this week.
Mangiacapre lost his opening match of the season to Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev, but has since won five bouts in a row against tough opposition including Kazakhstan’s Askhat Ualikhanov and USA’s Tra-Kwon Pettis.
The Italian is remarkably assured in the ring, with 30 completed rounds in WSB this season which means he will be sharp in this bout.
Arcón is undefeated at home in WSB, achieving two wins including a stoppage success over Poland’s Damian Tadeusz Kiwior.
This will be a very entertaining bout, and Mangiacapre will be wary to commit too much knowing that Arcón carries power.
A Middleweight (75 kg) contest follows between 0-1 Cacique Nalek Rachid Korbaj Barrerra and Italy’s 2-2 Salvatore Cavallaro who has lost both of his away matches in this campaign.
The evening finishes at Heavyweight (91 kg) where home star Alfonso Flores returns after stopping Gabriel Richards two weeks ago against Italian debutant Giuseppe Claudio Squeo.
Rafako Hussars Poland and USA Knockouts both seek a valuable victory in Szczecin
USA Knockouts travel to Rafako Hussars Poland in the penultimate match of the Regular Season with both teams desperately needing a win.
Poland have lost eight of their last nine World Series of Boxing (WSB) matches, while the American Franchise who started the season so well have only won one leg in their last four matches.
Because of the inconsistent form of both teams, this could be one of the most entertaining fixtures of the entire WSB weekend, and Hala Mosrir, Szczecin is the venue for this Group B clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:30 (GMT +2) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
The most important fight in Poland from an individual standpoint is at Middleweight (75 kg) where 5-1 home star Tomasz Jablonski battles USA’s Anthony Campbell.
Jablonski is currently fourth in the WSB Middleweight rankings, and though he does not have his Olympic destiny in his own hands, he knows victory over Campbell is imperative if he is to have any chance of reaching the Rio 2016 Games through WSB.
Andy Cruz Gomez, Petr Khamukov and Hurshidbek Normatov are all above the Pole in the rankings, so he needs others to slip up even if he achieves success here.
Each of Jablonski’s five wins this season have come against excellent opposition, and he has proved that he is a versatile fighter who can succeed against a variety of styles.
It is perhaps unfortunate for Jablonski though that his week 13 opponent is one of the toughest fighters in the division, because the seventh ranked Campbell has won two of his three away matches in Season V, and possesses a skillset that is difficult to breakdown.
Poland’s Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski has won two of his three home matches this season, so the durable fighter will look to make it three in a row against USA’s Joshua Franco in the opening match of the evening.
The American star narrowly lost to Kazakhstan’s Temirtas Zhussupov two weeks ago, while his style should gel with Jagodzinski to make a very entertaining match.
Francisco Martinez started Season V in superb form for the Knockouts winning his first four matches and reaching the top of the Bantamweight (56 kg) rankings.
Since then, the young American has lost his last two WSB bouts and has slipped to sixth in the standings.
With his dreams of earning a Rio 2016 Olympic quota through this competition all but over, the talented Martinez must regroup and go back to producing the excellent style of boxing which brought him so much success in the early stages of Season V.
This week he faces the durable 1-3 Sylwester Kozlowski who has the ability to exploit any weaknesses that Martinez may exhibit during their fight.
Light welterweight (64 kg) Kazimierz Łęgowski was stopped by Samat Bashenov a month ago, but returns in Szczecin to face 1-1 Knockout Tra-Kwon Pettis.
A Heavyweight (91 kg) clash ends proceedings in Poland when WSB veteran Michal Olas makes his first appearance of the campaign against USA’s Joshua Temple.
Will it be unlucky 13 for Astana Arlans Kazakhstan away to Argentina Condors?
Argentina Condors welcome Astana Arlans Kazakhstan to San Luis in week 13 of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) with much to play for.
The South American Franchise have won just one match this season, while Kazakhstan have achieved victory in all 12 of their fixtures so far.
This is the penultimate match of the Regular Season for both Franchises, so bottom placed Argentina will be looking for a winning end to the group stages, while Astana Arlans are eager to maintain their undefeated record.
Additionally, Kazakh Heavyweight (91 kg) Vassiliy Levit is fighting to earn a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota, and this is his last chance to do so.
Villa Mercedes, San Luis is the venue for this Group B clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 23:00 (GMT -3) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
The last bout of the evening is an extremely important one for 6-0 Vassiliy Levit who is one of the most fearsome fighters in WSB.
Levit has won all six of his bouts this season, and boasts four TKO wins amongst that record.
After the success of Cuba’s Erislandy Savon on Thursday night in London, Levit is now second in the Heavyweight rankings, and five points behind his main rival.
Only one quota is available for Rio 2016 from this weight class, so the Kazakh needs a decisive win over Argentina’s Diego Blanche to return to the top of the rankings and be eligible for Olympic qualification.
No Argentine Heavyweight has won a match this season, so Levit will be confident of his chances against the 0-1 Blanche.
2-2 Argentine Junior Zarate opens the action against 1-0 Light flyweight (49 kg) Zhomart Yerzhan whose lone appearance this season was a points win over Poland’s Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski a month ago.
Both of Zarate’s wins in Season V have come at home against Nico Hernandez and Magomed Ibiyev.
If Argentina are to win this match and pull off one of the greatest upsets in WSB history, they need to get off to a good start, so if Zarate can replicate his excellent home form then they could be in for a wonderful evening.
Jonathan Emanuel Sanchez then makes his first appearance of the campaign for the Condors at Bantamweight (56 kg) when he meets 2013 AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Kairat Yeraliyev, who defeated Ireland’s Michael Conlan six weeks ago.
Sixth ranked Light welterweight (64 kg) Samat Bashenov is highly unlikely to achieve an Olympic quota, but will want to continue his undefeated record in Season V when he meets Argentina’s Lucas Ivan Gimenez.
Bashenov is an experienced boxer who looks to control every aspect of his matches, and the 4-0 star defeated USA’s Tyrek Irby by split decision two weeks ago.
Gimenez lost his only match of the season by TKO against Irby in the first week of the competition, so Bashenov could hunt for the stoppage in his final appearance of the group stages.
Condors Middleweight (75 kg) Christian Zarate is on a three fight losing streak, but competes at home for the first time this season.
His opponent is 2013 AIBA World Champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly whose sole appearance in this year’s competition was a first round stoppage success over Puerto Rico’s Jeffrey Flaz Guillén in week five.
Puerto Rico Hurricanes put impressive home record on the line against Azerbaijan Baku Fires
Azerbaijan Baku Fires travel to Puerto Rico Hurricanes this week in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) knowing that victory will guarantee a place in the quarter-final stages of Season V.
The Azeri team have been in excellent form recently with six wins in their last seven matches, while Puerto Rico have won five of their six home fixtures this season.
This important clash is also hugely significant for two Azeri boxers who have ambitions to earn a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota through WSB.
All of the weight classes in action will be competing in their last match of the group stages, so victory for the aspiring Olympians is paramount.
Coliseíto Pedrín Zorrilla, San Juan is the venue for this Group B clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:00 (GMT -4) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
Azerbaijan’s Magomed Gurbanov has a perfect 5-0 record in Season V, and is currently ranked second at Bantamweight (56 kg) following Andy Cruz Gomez’s victory in London on Thursday night.
Gurbanov will overtake Cruz, and achieve an Olympic quota if he defeats 1-0 Hector Luis Garcia Mora in San Juan.
Mora was excellent two weeks ago in defeating Venezuela’s José Vicente Azocar, starting and finishing the fight strongly.
All Gurbanov needs is a points win to earn his quota however, and the Baku Fires fighter has won all five of his bouts this season via unanimous decision, which will give him great confidence going into this contest.
Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev has a slightly more difficult task regarding his road to Rio, as the Light welterweight (64 kg) is currently ranked third with just two quotas available.
After the current number one Light welterweight Yasniel Toledo won his last match of the Regular Season in London, the Cuban is four points ahead of Gadzhialiyev and second placed Vincenzo Mangiacapre who also competes this weekend.
The 5-1 Gadzhialiyev will finish at least second in the rankings if he defeats Carlos Adames by either stoppage or unanimous decision, but he will be well aware that his lone loss this season came away in North America to USA’s Tyrek Irby.
Adames represented USA Knockouts in WSB last season, but makes his debut for Puerto Rico Hurricanes in this clash, and the Dominican Republic fighter is the current AMBC American Youth Continental Champion and a gold medalist from last year’s Pacific Cup.
This should be a very entertaining clash between a classy boxer who has to win, and an emerging talent who wants to make a name for himself.
The evening opens with a Light flyweight (49 kg) clash between home favourite Anthony Ortiz and Azerbaijan’s 0-2 Rasul Saliyev.
1-1 Ortiz has not competed since week five of WSB when he lost to Kazakhstan’s Mardan Berikbayev, but he did defeat Poland’s Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski in the opening week of the competition.
Azerbaijan has only won a single match at Light flyweight this season, while Saliyev lost both of his matches to Temirtas Zhussupov and Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski.
Because of that fact, Ortiz will believe that if he uses his speed and boxing brain he will be able to defeat his opponent, but Saliyev is a quality operator and if he puts all of his attributes together he is a challenge for anybody at the weight class.
Puerto Rico’s 0-2 Jeffrey Flaz Guillén has not competed since week five, but returns to action against 1-2 Middleweight (75 kg) Jaba Khositashvili, while the evening closes with a Heavyweight (91 kg) battle between José Rosado and Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdullayev.
Rosado has one of the toughest debuts in WSB history in store against the third ranked Abdullayev as the Azeri fighter has stopped three of his five opponents in Season V.
No Algerian Light flyweight has won a match this season, while El Bekkali achieved Morocco’s lone victory at the weight class in week three when he defeated Britain’s Ashley Williams.
El Bekkali was stopped in round two of his last match by Mexico’s Joselito Velázquez Altamirano, while Toudjine has gone the distance in all four of his bouts so could have the advantage in terms of fitness and stamina.
0-3 Bantamweight (56 kg) Fahem Hammachi was last seen in action for Algeria on the losing end of a split decision verdict against Britain’s Sean McGoldrick, and he returns to action this week when he meets 2-2 Mohamed Hamout.
The Moroccan has lost both of his away matches in Season V, but has beaten top quality opposition at home including Ukraine’s Mykola Butsenko and Britain’s Qais Ashfaq which means he will be the favourite to succeed despite being the away fighter.
Ahmed Boudiaf has been one of Algeria’s best boxers across the campaign, with two home successes out of three attempts.
His opponent in the African derby is 1-5 Light welterweight (64 kg) Hamza El Barbari who superbly defeated Ukraine’s Dmytro Grynchenko in his last contest to seal a memorable victory for Morocco.
Boudiaf and El Barbari are very accomplished fighters, and their clash is sure to be an all-action affair that could be a crucial match on the night.
Ilyas Abbadi is ranked number eight in the Middleweight (75 kg) rankings, which means the Desert Hawk will be full of confidence when he battles Said Harnouf.
Abbadi achieved his third successive home win a fortnight ago against AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Anthony Fowler, while Harnouf has gone the distance in all four of his fights this season.
The last bout in Blida is at Heavyweight (91 kg) where Bouziane Houna seeks his second Algerian victory against Morocco’s 1-1 Amine Azzouzi.
Three Olympic quotas on the line as Caciques Venezuela meet Italia Thunder
An excellent World Series of Boxing (WSB) clash takes place this weekend between Caciques Venezuela and Italia Thunder.
The Venezuelan Franchise have excelled in their first WSB season, winning four of their five home matches and producing many excellent moments across the campaign.
Italy has won three of their last four matches, and are third in the Group B table, three points ahead of Venezuela.
Only the top three teams in the group will reach the knockout stages of the competition, so Venezuela need to win their penultimate match of the Regular Season to overtake the Italians.
As well as the high stakes for both teams in this fixture, three members of the Italia Thunder team are also heavily in contention to earn a qualification quota for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, so all need to win their last match of the group stages.
Estadio Polideportivo José María Vargas, Maiquetía is the venue for this Group B clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:00 (GMT -4.5) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
Ireland’s Patrick Barnes has dominated the Light flyweight (49 kg) division in WSB this season, and is ranked number one in the weight class after six consecutive victories for Italy.
With one match to go, Barnes is two points ahead of nearest rival Hasanboy Dusmatov which means all he has to do in Maiquetía is win on points and he will finish in the number one position.
Only one Light flyweight will earn a Rio quota, which makes success in Venezuela essential for the Irish star.
That could be a difficult task however, as his opponent is Venezuela’s sixth ranked Yoel Finol who has won four matches this season, and has not dropped a single round in his last three contests.
Barnes has won five of his six bouts via points, including in his three away appearances, while Finol is undefeated at home in Venezuela.
This is a difficult match to predict as both boxers have excellent skills and boast the ability to control fights, but Barnes needs to win this contest, and that fact could mean the two-time Olympic medalist has the edge in the fight.
Michael Conlan is an Irish international teammate of Barnes, and a fellow member of Italia Thunder where he has amassed a 4-2 record across Season V.
The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist is currently fourth in the Bantamweight (56 kg) rankings, and with two quotas available, the Irish competitor has to rely on the failures of those above him in order to secure a top two finish.
He also has to defeat Venezuela’s 2-3 José Vicente Azocar away from home, which will be a tough mission as Azocar has won two of his last three matches.
5-1 Italian Vincenzo Mangiacapre is the third Thunder fighter in contention to earn an Olympic quota, and the second ranked Light welterweight (64 kg) fights 2-3 Luis Arcón this week.
Mangiacapre lost his opening match of the season to Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev, but has since won five bouts in a row against tough opposition including Kazakhstan’s Askhat Ualikhanov and USA’s Tra-Kwon Pettis.
The Italian is remarkably assured in the ring, with 30 completed rounds in WSB this season which means he will be sharp in this bout.
Arcón is undefeated at home in WSB, achieving two wins including a stoppage success over Poland’s Damian Tadeusz Kiwior.
This will be a very entertaining bout, and Mangiacapre will be wary to commit too much knowing that Arcón carries power.
A Middleweight (75 kg) contest follows between 0-1 Cacique Nalek Rachid Korbaj Barrerra and Italy’s 2-2 Salvatore Cavallaro who has lost both of his away matches in this campaign.
The evening finishes at Heavyweight (91 kg) where home star Alfonso Flores returns after stopping Gabriel Richards two weeks ago against Italian debutant Giuseppe Claudio Squeo.
Rafako Hussars Poland and USA Knockouts both seek a valuable victory in Szczecin
USA Knockouts travel to Rafako Hussars Poland in the penultimate match of the Regular Season with both teams desperately needing a win.
Poland have lost eight of their last nine World Series of Boxing (WSB) matches, while the American Franchise who started the season so well have only won one leg in their last four matches.
Because of the inconsistent form of both teams, this could be one of the most entertaining fixtures of the entire WSB weekend, and Hala Mosrir, Szczecin is the venue for this Group B clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:30 (GMT +2) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
The most important fight in Poland from an individual standpoint is at Middleweight (75 kg) where 5-1 home star Tomasz Jablonski battles USA’s Anthony Campbell.
Jablonski is currently fourth in the WSB Middleweight rankings, and though he does not have his Olympic destiny in his own hands, he knows victory over Campbell is imperative if he is to have any chance of reaching the Rio 2016 Games through WSB.
Andy Cruz Gomez, Petr Khamukov and Hurshidbek Normatov are all above the Pole in the rankings, so he needs others to slip up even if he achieves success here.
Each of Jablonski’s five wins this season have come against excellent opposition, and he has proved that he is a versatile fighter who can succeed against a variety of styles.
It is perhaps unfortunate for Jablonski though that his week 13 opponent is one of the toughest fighters in the division, because the seventh ranked Campbell has won two of his three away matches in Season V, and possesses a skillset that is difficult to breakdown.
Poland’s Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski has won two of his three home matches this season, so the durable fighter will look to make it three in a row against USA’s Joshua Franco in the opening match of the evening.
The American star narrowly lost to Kazakhstan’s Temirtas Zhussupov two weeks ago, while his style should gel with Jagodzinski to make a very entertaining match.
Francisco Martinez started Season V in superb form for the Knockouts winning his first four matches and reaching the top of the Bantamweight (56 kg) rankings.
Since then, the young American has lost his last two WSB bouts and has slipped to sixth in the standings.
With his dreams of earning a Rio 2016 Olympic quota through this competition all but over, the talented Martinez must regroup and go back to producing the excellent style of boxing which brought him so much success in the early stages of Season V.
This week he faces the durable 1-3 Sylwester Kozlowski who has the ability to exploit any weaknesses that Martinez may exhibit during their fight.
Light welterweight (64 kg) Kazimierz Łęgowski was stopped by Samat Bashenov a month ago, but returns in Szczecin to face 1-1 Knockout Tra-Kwon Pettis.
A Heavyweight (91 kg) clash ends proceedings in Poland when WSB veteran Michal Olas makes his first appearance of the campaign against USA’s Joshua Temple.
Will it be unlucky 13 for Astana Arlans Kazakhstan away to Argentina Condors?
Argentina Condors welcome Astana Arlans Kazakhstan to San Luis in week 13 of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) with much to play for.
The South American Franchise have won just one match this season, while Kazakhstan have achieved victory in all 12 of their fixtures so far.
This is the penultimate match of the Regular Season for both Franchises, so bottom placed Argentina will be looking for a winning end to the group stages, while Astana Arlans are eager to maintain their undefeated record.
Additionally, Kazakh Heavyweight (91 kg) Vassiliy Levit is fighting to earn a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota, and this is his last chance to do so.
Villa Mercedes, San Luis is the venue for this Group B clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 23:00 (GMT -3) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
The last bout of the evening is an extremely important one for 6-0 Vassiliy Levit who is one of the most fearsome fighters in WSB.
Levit has won all six of his bouts this season, and boasts four TKO wins amongst that record.
After the success of Cuba’s Erislandy Savon on Thursday night in London, Levit is now second in the Heavyweight rankings, and five points behind his main rival.
Only one quota is available for Rio 2016 from this weight class, so the Kazakh needs a decisive win over Argentina’s Diego Blanche to return to the top of the rankings and be eligible for Olympic qualification.
No Argentine Heavyweight has won a match this season, so Levit will be confident of his chances against the 0-1 Blanche.
2-2 Argentine Junior Zarate opens the action against 1-0 Light flyweight (49 kg) Zhomart Yerzhan whose lone appearance this season was a points win over Poland’s Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski a month ago.
Both of Zarate’s wins in Season V have come at home against Nico Hernandez and Magomed Ibiyev.
If Argentina are to win this match and pull off one of the greatest upsets in WSB history, they need to get off to a good start, so if Zarate can replicate his excellent home form then they could be in for a wonderful evening.
Jonathan Emanuel Sanchez then makes his first appearance of the campaign for the Condors at Bantamweight (56 kg) when he meets 2013 AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Kairat Yeraliyev, who defeated Ireland’s Michael Conlan six weeks ago.
Sixth ranked Light welterweight (64 kg) Samat Bashenov is highly unlikely to achieve an Olympic quota, but will want to continue his undefeated record in Season V when he meets Argentina’s Lucas Ivan Gimenez.
Bashenov is an experienced boxer who looks to control every aspect of his matches, and the 4-0 star defeated USA’s Tyrek Irby by split decision two weeks ago.
Gimenez lost his only match of the season by TKO against Irby in the first week of the competition, so Bashenov could hunt for the stoppage in his final appearance of the group stages.
Condors Middleweight (75 kg) Christian Zarate is on a three fight losing streak, but competes at home for the first time this season.
His opponent is 2013 AIBA World Champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly whose sole appearance in this year’s competition was a first round stoppage success over Puerto Rico’s Jeffrey Flaz Guillén in week five.
Puerto Rico Hurricanes put impressive home record on the line against Azerbaijan Baku Fires
Azerbaijan Baku Fires travel to Puerto Rico Hurricanes this week in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) knowing that victory will guarantee a place in the quarter-final stages of Season V.
The Azeri team have been in excellent form recently with six wins in their last seven matches, while Puerto Rico have won five of their six home fixtures this season.
This important clash is also hugely significant for two Azeri boxers who have ambitions to earn a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota through WSB.
All of the weight classes in action will be competing in their last match of the group stages, so victory for the aspiring Olympians is paramount.
Coliseíto Pedrín Zorrilla, San Juan is the venue for this Group B clash, where on Saturday 18th April fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:00 (GMT -4) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
Azerbaijan’s Magomed Gurbanov has a perfect 5-0 record in Season V, and is currently ranked second at Bantamweight (56 kg) following Andy Cruz Gomez’s victory in London on Thursday night.
Gurbanov will overtake Cruz, and achieve an Olympic quota if he defeats 1-0 Hector Luis Garcia Mora in San Juan.
Mora was excellent two weeks ago in defeating Venezuela’s José Vicente Azocar, starting and finishing the fight strongly.
All Gurbanov needs is a points win to earn his quota however, and the Baku Fires fighter has won all five of his bouts this season via unanimous decision, which will give him great confidence going into this contest.
Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev has a slightly more difficult task regarding his road to Rio, as the Light welterweight (64 kg) is currently ranked third with just two quotas available.
After the current number one Light welterweight Yasniel Toledo won his last match of the Regular Season in London, the Cuban is four points ahead of Gadzhialiyev and second placed Vincenzo Mangiacapre who also competes this weekend.
The 5-1 Gadzhialiyev will finish at least second in the rankings if he defeats Carlos Adames by either stoppage or unanimous decision, but he will be well aware that his lone loss this season came away in North America to USA’s Tyrek Irby.
Adames represented USA Knockouts in WSB last season, but makes his debut for Puerto Rico Hurricanes in this clash, and the Dominican Republic fighter is the current AMBC American Youth Continental Champion and a gold medalist from last year’s Pacific Cup.
This should be a very entertaining clash between a classy boxer who has to win, and an emerging talent who wants to make a name for himself.
The evening opens with a Light flyweight (49 kg) clash between home favourite Anthony Ortiz and Azerbaijan’s 0-2 Rasul Saliyev.
1-1 Ortiz has not competed since week five of WSB when he lost to Kazakhstan’s Mardan Berikbayev, but he did defeat Poland’s Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski in the opening week of the competition.
Azerbaijan has only won a single match at Light flyweight this season, while Saliyev lost both of his matches to Temirtas Zhussupov and Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski.
Because of that fact, Ortiz will believe that if he uses his speed and boxing brain he will be able to defeat his opponent, but Saliyev is a quality operator and if he puts all of his attributes together he is a challenge for anybody at the weight class.
Puerto Rico’s 0-2 Jeffrey Flaz Guillén has not competed since week five, but returns to action against 1-2 Middleweight (75 kg) Jaba Khositashvili, while the evening closes with a Heavyweight (91 kg) battle between José Rosado and Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdullayev.
Rosado has one of the toughest debuts in WSB history in store against the third ranked Abdullayev as the Azeri fighter has stopped three of his five opponents in Season V.
By: Editor
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