{ 2007 WEIGHT CLASS PREVIEW }
DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPIONS, OLYMPIC MEDALISTS READY FOR CHICAGO A preview of each weight class offers a glimpse of boxers to watch at the 2007 AIBA World Boxing Championships By Julie Goldsticker LIGHT FLYWEIGHT 106 LBS/48 KG The light flyweight division boasts all four medalists from the 2005 AIBA World Championships, led by 2005 World Champion and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Zou Chiming of China. Chiming could face a rematch with 2005 silver medalist Pal Bedak of Hungary at the 2007 edition. 2005 bronze medalist Birzham Zhakypov of Kazakhstan and Sherali Dostiev of Tajikistan will both look to climb up the medal podium as well. In addition to the 2005 medalists, 2003 World Champion and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Sergey Kazakov of Russia is back in 2007. Kazakov will look to avenge his loss to Bedak at the 2005 event. The United States’ Luis Yanez (Duncanville, Texas) is coming off a gold medal at the recent Pan American Games and will be competing in his first World Championships. The Phillippines’ Harry Tanamor took home bronze medals from both the 2001 and 2003 World Championships, and will be returning to the world championship scene in 2007.
FLYWEIGHT 112 LBS/51 KG Two medalists from 2005 have returned for a second run at gold in the flyweight division, led by bronze medalist Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio) of the Untied States. Warren is joined by fellow bronze medalist Mirat Zarsembayev of Kazakhstan. International veteran Jerome Thomas of France is a two-time Olympic medalist as well as the 2001 World Champion and 2003 World Championships silver medalist. He failed to reach the medal stand in 2005, but is back for more hardware in 2007. Russia’s Georgy Balakshin won a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships, but a loss to Warren at the 2005 edition kept him from duplicating the feat. Yet Balakshin is back in 2007 after taking home gold at the 2006 European Championships.
BANTAMWEIGHT 119 LBS/54 KG Germany’s Rustamhodza Rahimov has built up an impressive resume over the past four years, taking home bronze medals from both the 2003 World Championships and 2004 Olympic Games as well as winning a silver medal at the | AIBA WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS | CHICAGO 2007
2005 Worlds. Gary Russell, Jr. (Capitol Heights, Md.) of the U.S. and France’s Ali Hallab – both winning bronze in 2005 – round out the list of returning medalists. 2003 World Championships bronze medalist Detelin Dalakliev of Bulgaria dropped a first round bout to Russell at the 2005 edition, but is back for another run in 2007.
FEATHERWEIGHT 125 LBS/57 KG The lone returning medalist in the featherweight division is Bulgaria’s Aleksey Shaydulin. 2006 European Champion Albert Selimov of Russia will be another boxer to keep an eye on in wide open featherweight division.
LIGHTWEIGHT 132 LBS/60 KG 2004 Olympic gold medalist Alexei Tishchenko of Russia and silver medalist Song Gruk Kim of Korea will have the opportunity to face each other again as this time they vie for World Championship hardware in the lightweight division. He is joined by 2005 World Championships bronze medalist Domenico Valentino of Italy as well as 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Serik Yeleuov of Kazakhstan. Croatia’s Filip Palic took home a bronze medal from the 2001 World Championships and is returning at the 2007 event in Chicago.
LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT 141 LBS/64 KG 2005 World Champion Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Manus Boonjumong of Thailand lead a strong contingent of light welterweights competing in Chicago. Dilshod Mahmudov of Uzbekistan, a 2005 silver medalist, will aim to avenge his 2005 final round loss when he takes the ring in Chicago. 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Gheorge Ionut of Romania will compete for his first world championships hardware in Chicago while 2003 World Championships silver medalist Alexander Maletin of Russia will vie for gold as well.
WELTERWEIGHT 152 LBS/69 KG 2005 World Championships bronze medalist Neil Perkins of England highlights one of the deepest weight divisions at
{ AUTOGRAPHS }
14 | AIBA WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS | CHICAGO 2007
{ 2007 EVENT INFORMATION }
ABOUT THE AIBA WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS CHICAGO 2007 SCHEDULE DATE
SESSION A
SESSION B SESSION C
— 11 am-2 pm 11 am-2 pm 11 am-2 pm 11 am-2 pm 11 am-2 pm Rest Day
2-6 pm 3-6 pm 3-6 pm 3-6 pm 3-6 pm 3-6 pm
2-6 pm 2-6 pm
7-10 pm 7-10 pm
PRELIMINARIES Tuesday, Oct. 23 Wednesday, Oct. 24 Thursday, Oct. 25 Friday, Oct. 26 Saturday, Oct. 27 Sunday, Oct. 28 Monday, Oct. 29
7-10 pm 7-10 pm 7-10 pm 7-10 pm 7-10 pm 7-10 pm
ROUND OF 16 Tuesday, Oct. 30 Wednesday, Oct. 31
QUARTERFINALS Thursday, Nov. 1
2-6 pm
7-10 pm
2-6 pm
7-10 pm
SEMIFINALS Friday, Nov. 2
FINALS Saturday, Nov. 3
2-6 pm
LOCATION: University of Illinois-Chicago Pavilion University of Illinois-Chicago 525 South Racine Chicago, IL 60607
The AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007 run from Oct. 23-Nov. 3 at the UIC Pavilion on the campus of the University of Illinois - Chicago. The event will likely be the biggest ever with 662 boxers expected to attend from 113 countries. If that number holds, it would surpass the previous mark for AIBA’s premier event of 412 boxers from 74 countries in 2005. This year, the AIBA World Boxing Championships are the first qualifying event for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The top eight boxers from different countries in nine of the 11 weight classes, and the top four in both the heavy and super heavyweight divisions in Chicago, will earn a spot at next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing. All told, 80 boxers will be named to Olympic Teams. The field is loaded with 27 World Championship medal winners from the 2005 World Championships in Mianyang City, China, expected to compete, including U.S. boxers Rau’shee Warren (51 kg-112 pounds/Cincinnati, Ohio) and Gary Russell, Jr. (54kg-119 pounds/Capitol Heights, Md.). Also, competing are eight Olympic medalists from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, including gold medalists Manus Boomjumnong of Thailand, in the 64kg/141 pounds weight division and Alexey Tishchenko of Russia at 57kg/125 pounds. The AIBA World Boxing Championships are held every two years.
TICKETS: 866-WBC-TIX1 Or call Ticketmaster (312) 559-1212 or visit www.ticketmaster.com ON THE WEB: www.worldboxingchicago.org ON TV: Competition highlights will be broadcast Sunday, Nov. 4th by Fox Sports immediately following the National Football League game that afternoon.
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{ INTRODUCTION TO AMATEUR BOXING }
AMATEUR BOXING 101 GENERAL INFORMATION Olympic-style boxing features 11 weight classes. To compete internationally, a boxer must be at least 17 years old and not more than 34 years old. In domestic competitions, an athlete must be at least eight years old to compete.
THE BOUT All open division bouts consist of four, two-minute rounds, with one-minute interval between rounds. All AIBA established points events consists of four, two-minute rounds, with one-minute interval between rounds. Rounds and length of rounds varies according to division.
THE REFEREE Referees are the sole authority in the ring, and they must maintain control of the match from start to finish, placing the foremost importance on the boxers’ safety. The referee makes sure the bout is clean and fair; that the boxers are physically able to continue; and most importantly, that the match is not one-sided. To maintain control, referees only need to speak three words: “stop” (boxing), “box” (begin again) and “break” (step back – used to break up clinches). Any boxer who does not obey immediately may be disqualified. Using their best judgment, referees may stop a match any time they think it is too one-sided, the boxers are not in earnest or one of the boxers seems unable to continue due to injury. At any point during the match, the referee may consult the ringside physician for advice – the physician’s recommendation is binding. Referees may disqualify a boxer, with or without warning, whenever a boxer acts aggressively toward them or delays in obeying a command.
COMMON FOULS The following are some of the common fouls for which boxers will be cautioned: hitting below the belt; holding, kicking or striking the opponent with anything other than the gloved knuckles; lying against the ropes or using them unfairly; using offensive language; not breaking on command; and behaving aggressively towards the referee. When a boxer commits a foul, the referee usually cautions the boxer and indicates the foul through hand motions. After three cautions for the same foul, the referee will warn the boxer, which results in the boxer losing a point. Upon the third warning for the same foul, the boxer is disqualified.
JUDGING THE BOUT Electronic scoring. For the first time in Olympic boxing competition, an electronic scoring system was used at
Olympic-style boxing is one of the most popular of the Olympic sports. The lights, the ring, the boxers, the action-packed excitement and the thrill of competition comprise the mental picture the general public has of Olympic-style boxing. The following is an introduction to amateur boxing to help you understand what is happening in the ring and the decisions that are rendered.
the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Under electronic scoring, five working judges are positioned at ringside with a desk-mounted keypad at each judge’s position. The keypads, each of which are linked to the computer at the jury table, feature four buttons – red and blue scoring and red and blue warning buttons. During the course of the bout, judges record scoring blows for each competitor on their keypad. In order for a blow to be recorded by the computer as part of the official (or combined/accepted score), three of five judges must press the same colored button within a one-second interval. The one-second interval begins when the first judge records a blow. Scores are reported in terms of number of blows recognized by a majority of judges over the course of the four rounds combined. If a boxer receives a warning for a foul, the referee will stop action, mimic the foul and look to each judge to recommend a point deduction. If the judges agree with the warning, they will press the warning button corresponding to the fouling boxer’s corner color. If the warning is recognized by a majority of the judges, the warning will result in the addition of two points (“blows”) to the opponent’s score. It is important to note that electronic scoring is merely a different method of scoring a bout and the definitions of a scoring blow have remained unchanged. A scoring blow still must be clean, fair, unguarded and have the proper weight of the body or shoulder behind it. All legal blows are scored equally, regardless if they result in a knockdown.
WINNING THE BOUT Winning on points. This is the most common type of win and is decided simply by consulting the judges’ scores for each boxer. Again, if a judge has the boxers scored evenly, the judge must select a winner based on aggressiveness, better defense and best style (except under electronic scoring). Winning by retirement. A boxer (or coach) who voluntarily “throws in the towel” or one who is unfit to continue forfeits the match. Winning when the referee stops the contest (RSC). If the referee thinks a boxer is totally outclassed, the bout will be stopped and the superior opponent wins. The bout also will be stopped if one of the boxers is injured or is unable to continue or if one of the boxers receives an eight-count three times in one round or four times in a bout. “Out on the feet,” a boxer is given a mandatory eight-count by the referee. The referee uses this time to evaluate the status of the boxer to determine if the bout can continue. Even if boxers are able to box sooner, they must wait until the eight seconds are counted to continue. If they are not able to box by the count of eight, they lose the match.
If a bout is stopped, it may also be called an RSCH. The “H” is used when the match was stopped due to head blows. The ringside physician has the option to stop a match, at his or her discretion, at any point. The physician will examine the boxer and signal the match to continue or stop at that point. The physician’s decision is always binding. The “technical knockout” (TKO) does not exist in Olympic-style boxing. Winning by disqualification. If the referee disqualifies a boxer, the opponent wins the bout. If both boxers are disqualified, neither wins and this result is announced.
SAFETY The main objective of the rules of Olympic-style rules and the actions and decisions of the referee is the safety and protection of boxers. As safety measures, boxers are required to wear a form-fitted mouthpiece, a foul-proof cup and a headguard. The headguard was made mandatory for all international events and major tournaments in 1984. Internationally, 10-ounce gloves are used for all 11 weight classes. Pre- and post-bout medical examinations are required for all competitions. Additional safety measures to limit athletes’ and officials’ exposure to bodily fluids include provisions that a referee may stop a bout when both boxers are bleeding. Ringside physicians may stop a match at their discretion at any point during the bout. The standing eight-count and medical advice concerning potential injuries are two additional ways the athlete is protected. Referees may administer the standing eight whenever they think boxers are unable to defend themselves, are dazed, or have received too many blows. The referee uses this time to evaluate the boxer’s condition and ability to continue. If a boxer has received a cut or other injury, the referee may consult the ringside physician, who has the option to stop the bout or let it continue. A physician is required at ringside during all contests. If a boxer’s match is stopped because of head blows, the boxer is restricted from sparring or competition for a specified period. Before resuming after a restriction period, the boxer must be cleared by a physician. To compete, boxers must have an athlete’s passbook, which is a record of their matches to date. This is to ensure their eligibility and record to box.
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