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Five nations earned quota places for Rio in the first session of the finals in Vargas

July 8th, 2016 / IBA

Nine important final and Box-off contests were held in the morning session of the fifth competition day at the APB/WSB Olympic Qualification Event in Vargas, Venezuela. flyweight (52kg), lightweight (60kg), welterweight (69kg), light heavyweight (81kg) and super heavyweight (+91kg) were in action.

The winners in the super heavyweight (+91kg) and all of the Box-offs in the other four categories are qualified for the boxing tournament of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Colombia, Italy, Spain and Ukraine won in Box-off matches while Venezuela also earned an Olympic spot for Rio in the super heavy weight category.

In the opening bout, Avila Segura from Colombia and Ukraine’s Maksym Fatych met in the important Box-off of the flyweight (52kg). Both boxers started with similar styles but Avila imposed a different rhythm today which ended up being a winning tactic. The Colombian boxer won all of the rounds and qualified for his first Olympic Games.

Venezuela’s AMBC American Confederation Champion Yoel Finol began the bout with clear right-handed jabs against Germany’s Hamza Touba who tried to work from a longer distance in the final of the flyweight (52 kg). The 19-year-old Venezuelan WSB boxer delighted the crowd with his strong combinations and was more mobile on his feet than his German rival and finally awarded the first gold medal of the tournament.

In the lightweight (60kg) box-off, Italy’s pro boxer Carmine Tommasone tried to avoid Turkey’s Yasin Yilmaz strong punches in the first round and his counter-attacks worked well. The Turkish boxer found his rhythm in the second round and stepped on the accelerator but the Italian veteran’s effective tactic in the final minutes allowed him to take the Olympic spot.

“I am so happy after this amazing success in the APB/WSB Olympic Qualification Event winning the Box-off here in Venezuela. It was great that my opponent was not doing closed boxing which was perfect for me. My tactic was to stay focused and avoid his traps.  I think I managed to find the right approach  so I am more than happy that I’m going to Rio,” said Italy’s Carmine Tommasone.

Mexico’s Lindolfo Delgado was matched against pro boxer Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng. The Mexican lightweight (60kg) boxer controlled the bout, chased the victory and his impactful punches gave him a TKO success in the 2nd round.

Spain’s APB performer Youba Ndiaye Sissokho eliminated the main favourite of the welterweight (69kg) Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk in the quarter-final of the APB/WSB Olympic Qualification Event in Vargas. His Indian opponent Neeraj Goyat could not stop his fiercy attacks and Youba Ndiaye Sissokho qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The gold medal of the welterweight (69kg) went to Mexico’s Juan Pablo Romero who walked over to the title against Germany’s Arajik Marutjan who was bronze medallist at the AIBA World Boxing Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2013.

Colombia’s Juan Carlos Carrillo met for the gold medal of the light heavyweight (81kg) with Cameroon’s Athens 2004 Olympic Games quarter-finalist Hassan Ndam Njikam who has returned from the professional world to come to Vargas. The Colombian boxer knocked out two of his rivals in the APB/WSB Olympic Qualification Event and he was enough motivated to get the gold medal of the category against his strong African rival. The final verdict was a unanimous decision in favor of the 24-year-old Colombian boxer. Ukraine’s Denys Solonenko walked over to the Olympic quota in the Box-off of the category.

Venezuela’s veteran super heavyweight (+91kg) boxer Edgar Ramon Munoz had to do his very best to beat Ukraine’s Rostyslav Arkhypenko who delivered one of the main sensation of the APB/WSB Olympic Qualification Event when he defeated Russia’s Magomed Omarov in the quarter-finals. The Venezuelan boxer moved ahead from the first seconds and his stamina helped him deliver an Olympic spot for August’s event.