Twenty-eight remarkable contests between stars were held in the semi-finals of the Cologne Boxing World Cup in Germany. The host nation’s AIBA Women’s World Champion Ornella Wahner returned with great success in the semi-finals after a long break while Netherlands’ star Nouchka Fontijn bowed out Germany’s professional World Champion Christina Hammer in an exciting fight.

Germany’s AIBA Women’s World Champion Ornella Wahner returned with a success

Germany’s Ornella Wahner achieved a gold medal at the New Delhi 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. Following that amazing and historical German success, she needed a lot of time to recharge and compete again in international events. Wahner worked hard in the training camps in the recent months and returned to the Cologne Boxing World Cup in top shape.

The 27-year-old boxer controlled all of the exchanges against Mali’s All Africa Games silver medallist Fatoumata Camara and proved that she was better in that bout. Wahner reduced the fighting distance successfully against her taller ex-French opponent and will meet for the gold medal with Brazil’s fabulous 21-year-old Jucielen Romeu.

Young stars as Machado and Nurbek Oralbay advanced to the final of the men’s light heavyweight (81kg)

Brazil’s Keno Marley Machado claimed a gold medal at the 2018 AMBC American Youth Boxing Championships in the United States and the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. The Brazilian joined the elite national team in 2019 and had amazed in several tournaments in Europe. Machado is now an experienced boxer who has been keeping his focus on the main goals of the year and the Cologne Boxing World Cup is his next stage in the preparations.

The Brazilian light heavyweight (81kg) boxer met with Germany’s Alexander Okafor in an exciting battle of the second competition day. The 20-year-old Machado felt the tempo and landed accurate jabs in the first round against the strong German. The Brazilian had excellent footwork in the bout and will meet for the title with Kazakhstan’s AIBA Youth World Champion Nurbek Oralbay. Both of the finalists were born in 2000 and could be the next sensations shortly.

Nouchka Fontijn eliminated the German professional World Champion Christina Hammer

Netherlands’ Rio 2016 Olympic Games silver medallist Nouchka Fontijn is one of the top woman middleweight (75kg) boxers in the whole world. She expected a tough battle against Germany’s professional World Champion Christina Hammer who joined the Olympic national team last December. Hammer tried to pressurize her experienced Dutch rival and used the central position to reach Fontijn. The Dutch overcame her several times in the first round but Hammer moved ahead and she was not tired in the final minutes. Hammer opened the third round with a good punch but she received quick responses from the Dutch side. Fontijn impressed with her perfect rhythm in the bout and eliminated a sensational rival in Cologne, therefore, she can meet with France’s Davina Michel in the final.

“I did not expect anything before the fignt, I know the German comes from professional boxing and we watched a video about her the day before. I consider too much thinking before the fight doesn’t support your preparation, therefore, I focused on my strategy which worked well today. I know also my French opponent in the final but every day could be different, so we will make plans against her to find the best tactic. You never know, this is a normal tournament but you can meet with anyone from your weight class at the most important event,” said Fontijn after her semi-final contest.

The next day in the Cologne Boxing World Cup

The third day of boxing consists of the final bouts at the Cologne Boxing World Cup in Germany. The event will be live streaming on the website.

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