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BEST BOXER
THERE were several contenders.
Only 20, Uzbekistan southpaw Javokhir Ummataliev beat Norbek Oralbay, Olympic silver medalist last summer, on his way to 80kgs gold, and Kazakhstan had outstanding gold-medal winners in Makhud Sabrykhan (55kgs) and Sanzhar Tashkenbay (50kgs).
We go for Aibek Oralbay.
Quarter-finalist at heavyweight in Paris, he had a hard route to super-heavyweight gold in Liverpool.
The Kazakh survived a last-round onslaught from Cuban legend Julio Cesar la Cruz to reach the final, where he walked through some solid shots from Uzbek southpaw Jakhongir Zokirov to outlast him in the final round and win a split decision that left his country on top of the medals table.
BEST BOUT
ALEJANDRO CLARO FIZ (Cub) vs SAMET GUMUS (Tur)
Flyweight quarter-final
EVERY round, hard fought and of the highest quality, was scored 3-2 by the judges.
For six minutes, these southpaws stood in front of each other in the middle of the ring, swapping punches.
By the final minute of the second, Gumus looked to be feeling the pace and, at the start of the last, he went on the back foot.
When he had recharged, Gumut produced a late drive that won him the round on two of the scorecards.
BEST ROUND
ERISLANDY ALVAREZ (Cub) v ALMAZ OREZBEKOV (Uzb)
Third round of last-16 bout at 65kgs
THE BEST round of the championships was set up by Alvarez losing a point for holding late in the second, leaving him a point up on three cards and teenager Orezbekov needing a huge final three minutes to beat the Olympic champion.
There was no holding in the final three minutes. Or moving. They just threw punches at each other. The 19-year-old Orozbekov ran from his corner at the bell and let his hands go. That suited the Cuban. He took shots and waved Orezbekov forward, into the path of uppercuts and hooks.
Orezbekov walked through them and kept punching. Alvarez gave more than he took to claim the round on all five cards and the 3-1 split decision – but what a round.
BEST PUNCH
MAKHMUD SABYRKHAN (Kaz) v BASHKIM BAJOKU (Kos)
Last 16 at 55kgs
ONE OF the best boxers at the World Championships threw surely the best punch.
It was a perfectly timed southpaw left that Sabyrkhan whipped on to the chin of Bajkou as the Kosovan reached in to aim a right at him.
The moment the Kazakh’s punch landed, the bout was over. Bajkou folded face-first to the canvas and the referee instantly waved it off inside 30 seconds.
BEST COUNTRY
UZEBKISTAN
Uzbekistan confirmed themselves as the top nation in world men’s amateur boxing.
Top of the men’s medal table at last summer’s Paris Olympics with five golds, they won six golds and one silver from the 10 men’s weight categories in Liverpool.
WOMEN
BEST BOXER
AOIFE O’ROURKE (Ire)
FAVOURITES for middleweight gold heading into the World Championships included 2023 World Champion Lina Wang and Norwegian star Sunniva Hofstad.
O’Rourke beat them both on the way to gold, making up for her silver at the IBA World Championship earlier this year.
The 28-year-old outboxed Hofstad in the last eight and then battered Wang throughout their semi-final, forcing a count in a one-sided last round to book her place in the final.
There, she met Busra Isildar, and O’Rourke gave the Turkish boxer the same treatment.
O’Rourke, who had beaten Isildar on the way to European gold last year, pounded out a unanimous points win, taking all three rounds on three of the judges’ scorecards to add World gold to a CV that also shows three European Championship golds and an appearance at last summer’s Paris Olympics.
BEST ROUND
JULIA SZEREMETA (Pol) v VALERIA ARBOLEDA MENDOZA (Col)
2nd round of 57kgs semi final
UP ON FOUR cards after a quiet first round, Szeremeta faced a very different Mendoza in the second.
The usually ice-cool Olympic silver medallist appeared uncomfortable at times as Mendoza went for her.
She had the Pole on the ropes for a spell, but Szeremeta boxed well enough in between Mendoza’s raids to take the round on four of the cards, leaving her to the brink of the final.
BEST BOUT
AGATA KACZMARSKA (Pol) v NUPUR NUPUR (India)
80+kgs final
KACZMARSKA was the come-forward slugger, Nupur the mover and there was nothing between them until the dying seconds of the final round that would decide the gold medal.
With the clock ticking and the bout still up for grabs, Kaczmarka smashed a left hook off the Indian’s jaw, dazing her and forcing her to grab. It was the perfect time to land her best punch of the bout – and it won her gold. Kaczmarska won the last round on three cards and took a 3-2 split decision.
BEST PUNCH
ALUA BALBIBEKOVA (Kaz) v XINYU Qi (Chi)
Light-flyweight semi-final
IN THE second round of this hard battle, Balbibekova decided to take a breather. She went for a walk and Qi followed her. It was a trap.
The Kazkh looked over her shoulder, saw Qi was where she wanted her and turned to fire a right-hand piledriver onto the Chinese boxer’s chin. Her knees buckled and when she tried to straighten herself, her legs were still shaky and the referee had to give her an ‘eight’ count.
BEST TEAM
KAZAKHSTAN took home three golds and two silvers from the 10 weight categories to finish top of the women’s medal table.
India was just behind them with two golds.
