The Pavlyukov Youth Memorial Tournament was recently held in Anapa, Russia where top boxing nations including Russia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Azerbaijan, Ireland, Armenia and Uzbekistan all took part.

This is one of the strongest youth competitions in boxing, and the latest edition was full of fantastic performances.

Athlete of the tournament
Ireland’s current AIBA Junior World Champion William Donoghue is one of the best European Flyweight (52 kg) youth boxers, and he proved his talent in the Pavlyukov Youth Memorial Tournament.

Donoghue had to win five matches to win the gold medal in Anapa, with his close quarter-final against Kyrgyzstan’s Junior National Champion Fatkhidin Khamroyev particularly entertaining.

In the final of the tournament he defeated Kazakhstan’s highly regarded ASBC Asian Junior Continental Champion Stoyan Mazur by unanimous decision.

Team of the tournament
The Russian team claimed six gold medals in Anapa, and Vladimir Pykhtin started their golden series when he defeated his main local rival Temirlan Khangishiev in the final of the Bantamweight class (56 kg).

Konstantin Mishechkin then had to be at his very best to beat Cuba’s talented 17-year-old Isamy Barbaro Mesa in the final of the Light Welterweight class (64 kg).

Roman Kulikov was the gold medallist at the 2013 AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships in Kiev, and he defeated Ireland’s Michael Nevin in one of the best battles of the final day in this tournament.

Islam Gadzhimagomedov claimed Russia’s fourth gold medal in Anapa following his narrow triumph over Scotland’s Sean Lazzerini, while EUBC European Junior Continental Champion Dmitriy Marutkin and Valeriy Topuzyan were their further winners in the strong competition.

Surprise of the tournament
Afghanistan’s Nasim Sadiki won a single bout last year in the Pavlyukov Youth Memorial Tournament, and this time he defeated three Russian boxers en route to the semi-finals.

Although Sadiki lost to eventual winner Vladimir Pykhtin of Russia in the last four, he impressed many with his talents throughout all of his contests.

One to watch
Kazakhstan’s Abilkhan Amankul eliminated Cuba’s Youth National Champion Randy Rivera, Russia’s Igor Viktorov and the host nation’s top athlete Tulpar Atayev on the road to the finals by large margins of difference each time.

In gold medal bout he used his combination punching to beat Scotland’s defending EUBC European Junior Continental Champion William Hutchinson, and Amankul is emerging as a prodigious talent.

Stat/fact of the tournament
Cuba won three medals in Anapa following their training camp with the Russian squad.

Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova all won at least a medal in one of the strongest youth competitions, while Scotland had two finalists in the event.

Altogether, 172 boxers took part in the event from 17 nations.

List of the winners in Anapa
49 kg: Saken Bibosynov, Kazakhstan
52 kg: William Donoghue, Ireland
56 kg: Vladimir Pykhtin, Russia
60 kg: Sabyrzhan Abilov, Kazakhstan
64 kg: Konstantin Mishechkin, Russia
69 kg: Roman Kulikov, Russia
75 kg: Abilkhan Amankul, Kazakhstan
81 kg: Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, Russia
91 kg: Dmitriy Marutkin, Russia
+91 kg: Valeriy Topuzyan, Russia

Share on Facebook

Tweet