The AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships continued with 26 exciting semi-final contests today in St. Petersburg, Russia, where all of the 13 weight classes were in action.

Bout of the day

Dainier Pero has won four Cuban National Games titles through various age groups, and is now one match away from a gold medal in St. Petersburg after an entertaining victory over Russian Light Heavyweight (80 kg) Vladislav Ivanov.

Pero survived an early onslaught of jabs from Ivanov in the opening round, before unleashing his own attacks shortly afterwards.

Both boxers dazzled the crowd with their spectacular punches, but it was always Pero who was bossing the bout.

The Cuban star will now face Khurshedshokh Iskandarov for the gold medal, after the Kazakh athlete defeated Ukraine’s Arkadii Karcan in a close contest.

Team of the day

Turkey enjoyed a tremendous day of competition, where all three of their boxers advanced to the gold medal bouts.

Unal Kalkisim delivered the biggest surprise of the semi-finals and the first triumph for the Turkish team, when he defeated the previously undefeated Englishman Charles Frankham at Light Bantamweight (52 kg)

Tugrulhan Erdemir then achieved another great result when he outpointed Cuba’s promising star Edel Acosta in an excellent Lightweight (60 kg) semi-final.

The 16-year-old used his height advantage to keep the distance against the attacking Cuban, to establish a final against Ireland’s Patrick Donovan.

Turkish Junior National Champion Bayram Malkan sealed an unforgettable day for his country when he eliminated Hungary’s Szilard Laszlo.

Malkan will now fight Russia’s Artem Oganesian for the Light Middleweight (70 kg) gold medal.

Surprise of the day

Germany’s Junior National Champion Daniel Malsam had only competed in a few bouts prior to the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships, so therefore his victory over Uzbekistan’s ASBC Asian Junior Champion Profsor Rorimsha was a big surprise.

The Heavyweight (+80 kg) boxer has now defeated the main gold medal contender, and will meet Mahammad Abdullayev in the final.

The Round-Up

United States’ Jesse Rodriguez stopped Welsh fighter James Probert in the second round of their Pinweight (46 kg) semi-final, where his next opponent will be Romania’s Cosmin Girleanu, who eliminated Kazakhstan’s ASBC Asian Junior Champion Aibek Dossanov.

Cuba’s Alexei Rodriguez continued his winning form with a Bantamweight (56 kg) victory over Ukraine’s EUBC European Confederation Schoolboys Champion Taras Bondarchuk.

He will now fight for the gold with US star Marc Castro.

Uzbekistan’s Timur Merzhanov’s elder brother Eldar was the bronze medallist in the last edition of the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships, and now Timur has reached the Light Welterweight (63 kg) final following his triumph over Leon Lawson.

Russia’s Edgard Tcambov won the last two editions of the EUBC European Confederation Schoolboys Boxing Championships, and the 15-year-old was able to beat Poland’s top junior boxer Eryk Apresyan in the semi-final of the Welterweight (66 kg) class.

His final opponent will be Uzbekistan’s Dilshodbek Ruzmetov.

Russia’s Magomedbek Makhmudov has not lost in 2015, and now has the chance to extend that record in the Middleweight (75 kg) final after outpointing Romania’s  Alberto Biro.

Makhmudov’s gold medal opponent will be Uzbekistan’s ASBC Asian Junior Champion Kosimkhon Kosimov, after he defeated Tajikistan’s Akhmadjon Saidov.

Fact of the day

The 26 finalists remaining in St. Petersburg come from the following 10 nations:

• Russia: 6 finalists
• United States of America, Uzbekistan: 4 finalists
• Turkey: 3 finalists
• Cuba, Ireland, Kazakhstan: 2 finalists
• Azerbaijan, Germany, Romania: 1 finalist

Quote of the day

“I felt it was a very good fight for as long as it lasted. I am satisfied with my performance but tomorrow I have to step it up a bit. I felt really strong in the fight, and I knew my punches were effective enough to hurt my opponent, so I had to finish him off. James Probert is a very skillful, tough, fast fighter and he has my respect. It’s a great feeling knowing I’m in the finals, and all of my hard work in the gym is showing inside the ring. I won’t be completely satisfied until I have gold around my neck,” said US Junior National Champion Jesse Rodriguez.

Tomorrow’s program

The AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships will finish tomorrow with 13 final contests.

Schedule of the finals:

• 46 kg: Jesse Rodriguez USA – Cosmin Girleanu ROM
• 48 kg: Ilia Popov RUS – James Coughlan IRL
• 50 kg: Daulet Nyssan KAZ – Rey Diaz USA
• 52 kg: Nikita Piskunov RUS – Unal Kalkisim TUR
• 54 kg: Marc Castro USA – Alexei Rodriguez CUB
• 57 kg: Bilolbek Mirzarakhimov UZB – Gabriel Flores USA
• 60 kg: Patrick Donovan IRL – Tugrulhan Erdemir TUR
• 63 kg: Timur Merzhanov UZB – Osman Aliyev RUS
• 66 kg: Edgard Tcambov RUS – Dilshodbek Ruzmetov UZB
• 70 kg: Artem Oganesian RUS – Bayram Malkan TUR
• 75 kg: Magomedbek Makhmudov RUS – Kosimkhon Kosimov UZB
• 80 kg: Dainier Pero CUB – Khurshedshokh Iskandarov KAZ
• +80 kg: Mahammad Abdullayev AZE – Daniel Malsam GER

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