By Alexey Sukachev

Crossing continental Europe one couldn’t find a better place for world championship boxing than Hamburg, Germany, arguably the birthplace (or, at least, the citadel) of the German boxing. It’s where the nineteenth installment of AIBA WC tournaments had taken its place from Aug. 25 to Sep. 2.

The main trend, confirmed by the tournament, is that there’s no more dominant powerhouse in amateur boxing than Cuba. After a decade of relative inconsistency and fuss amateur boxing’s greatest nation was… well, at its greatest, winning exactly half of all the gold at the tourney. Some of young Cubans are worth of a specific look at, and the most careful look should be aimed at 28-year old light heavyweight Julio Cesar La Cruz.

The dominant light heavyweight of the 10’s won his fourth consecutive gold medal in addition to 2016 Rio Olympics gold medal. He is the only Olympic gold medalist to win in the WC a year after Rio 2016. Two other Cubans worth looking at is a two-time world champion Joahnys Argilagos, who is 20, and veteran flyweight Yosbany Veitia.

One trend, which was partially confirmed, is a rise of Uzbekistan. However, this time the Middle Eastern nation wasn’t as successful as it was a year ago in Rio, failing to capture more than a single gold. Yet, it was enough – in addition to a trio of silver medals (all being captured in Cuba vs. Uzbekistan duels) – to edge bitter rivals from Kazakhstan in an intriguing Middle Eastern rivalry.

The negative trend is a continuing downfall of the Russian national boxing team, which was unable to win a single gold medal for the first time in eighteen years. However, taking into account all of the former Soviet Republics, the ex-USSR virtual team would have heavily dominated all but the Cubans, had it been able to compete as a unified team with 4 gold, 6 silver and 9 bronze medals, the rest of the world (save for Cuba of course) getting just 1 gold, 2 silver and 11 bronze medals.

USA was a bit luckier with an extra bronze a year ago in Rio. Also, veteran super heavyweight Magomedrasul Medjidov from Azerbajian got his third gold medal a hard way but he is still to win an Olympic gold medal.

FINAL STANDINGS

1. Cuba – 5 gold, 2 silver

2. Uzbekistan – 1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze

3. Kazakhstan – 1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze

4. Azerbaijan – 1 gold, 1 bronze

5-6. Ukraine and France – 1 gold

7. USA – 1 silver, 2 bronze

8. Russia – 1 silver, 1 bronze

9. Ireland – 1 silver

10-20. Armenia, UK, Equador, Colombia, Georgia, Mongolia, Germany, India, South Korea, Australia, Cameroon – 1 bronze

RESULTS

Quarter-Finals

Light Flyweight (49 kg / 108 lbs)

Joahnys Argilagos (CUB) – Salah Ibrahim Omar (GER) – 5:0

Zhomart Yerzhan (KAZ) – Vasiliy Yegorov (RUS) – 5:0

Yurberjen Martinez Rivas (COL) – Gan-Erdene Ghankhuyag (MGL) – 5:0

Hasanboy Dusmatov (UZB) – Amit (IND) – 5:0

Flyweight (52 kg / 114 lbs)

Yosbany Veitia (CUB) – Gabriel Escobar (ESP) – 5:0

Tamir Galanov (RUS) – Manuel Cappai (ITA) – 5:0

In-Kyu Kim (KOR) – Kavinder Bisht (IND) – 4:0

Jasurbek Latipov (UZB) – Ceiber Avila Segura (COL) – 4:1

Bantamweight (56 kg / 123 lbs)

Kairat Yeraliev (KAZ) – Omar El Hag (GER) – 5:0

Peter McGrail (UK) – Leonel De Los Santos (DOM) – 4:1

Gaurav Bidhuri (IND) – Bilel Mhamdi (TUN) – 3:0

Duke Ragan (USA) – Jiawei Zhang (CHN) – 5:0

Lightweight (60 kg / 132 lbs)

Lazaro Alvarez Estrada (CUB) – Murat Yildirim (GER) – 5:0

Otar Eranosyan (GEO) – Elnur Abduraimov (UZB) – 5:0

Otgondalay Dorjinyambuu (MGL) – Luis Cabrera (VEN) – 4:1

Sofiane Oumiha (FRA) – Yuri Shestak (UKR) – 5:0

Light Welterweight (64 kg / 141 lbs)

Freudis Rojas (USA) – Islam Mohamed (EGY) – 5:0

Ikboljon Kholdarov (UZB) – Artem Harutyunyan (GER) – 3:2

Hovhannes Bachkov (ARM) – Chinzorig Baatasurkh (MGL) – 4:1

Andy Cruz Gomez (CUB) – Elvis Rodriguez (DOM) – 5:0

Welterweight (69 kg / 152 lbs)

Shakhram Giyasov (UZB) – Pat McCormack (UK) – 5:0

Abaikhan Zhussupov (KAZ) – Gabriel Maestre Perez (VEN) – 3:1

Abbas Baraou (GER) – Tuvshinbat Byamba (MGL) – 5:0

Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo (CUB) – Quinto Randall (USA) – 5:0

Middleweight (75 kg / 165 lbs)

Olexander Khizhnyak (UKR) – Benjamin Whittaker (UK) – 4:1

Kamran Shaksuvarly (AZE) – Jorge Vivas Palacios (COL) – 3:2

Abikhan Amankul (KAZ) – Arlen Lopez (CUB) – 3:2

Troy Isley (USA) – Ismail Madrimov (UZB) – 3:2

Light Heavyweight (81 kg / 178 lbs)

Joseph Ward (IRL) – Mikhail Dauhaliavets (BLR) – 5:0

Julio Cesar La Cruz (CUB) – Ibragim Bazuev (GER) – 5:0

Bektemir Melikuziev (UZB) – Yerik Alzhanov (KAZ) – 3:2

Carlos Mina Caicedo (ECU) – Shabbos Negmatulloev (TJK) – 5:0

Heavyweight (91 kg / 202 lbs)

Evgueny Tischenko (RUS) – David Nyika (NZL) – 4:1

Erislandy Savon (CUB) – Cheavon Clarke (UKA) – TKO 3

Vasily Levit (KAZ) – Jason Whateley (AUS) – 5:0

Sanjar Tursunov (UZB) – Roy Korving (NED) – 4:1

Super Heavyweight (91+ kg / 202+ lbs)

Kamshybek Kunkabayev (KAZ) – Bakhodir Jalolov (UZB) – 3:2

Fokou Arsene (CMR) – Christian Salcedo Codazzi (COL) – TKO 1

Joseph Goodall (AUS) – Maxim Babanin (RUS) – 3:0

Magomedrasul Medjidov (AZE) – Djamel-Dini Aboudou Moindze (FRA) – 3:2

Semi-Finals

Light Flyweight (49 kg / 108 lbs)

Argilagos – Yerzhan – 5:0 (30:27 x3, 29:28 x2)

Dusmatov – Martinez Rivas – 5:0 (30:27 x2, 29:28 x3)

Flyweight (52 kg / 114 lbs)

Veitia – Galanov – 3:2 (30:27, 29:28, 29:28, 28:29, 27:30)

Latipov – Kim – 5:0 (30:26, 30:27 x3, 29:28)

Bantamweight (56 kg / 123 lbs)

Yeraliev – McGrail – 5:0 (30:27 x5)

Ragan – Bidhuri – 5:0 (30:27 x4, 30:26)

Lightweight (60 kg / 132 lbs)

Alvarez Estrada – Eranosyan – 5:0 (30x27 x2, 30:26 x3)

Oumiha – Dorjinambuu – 5:0 (30:27 x4, 29:28)

Light Welterweight (64 kg / 141 lbs)

Kholdarov – Rojas – 4:1 (30:27 x4, 28:29)

Cruz Gomez – Bachkov – 5:0 (30:26, 30:27 x3, 29:28)

Welterweight (69 kg / 152 lbs)

Giyasov – Zhussupov – 4:1 (30:27, 29:28 x3, 28:29)

Iglesias – Baraou – 4:1 (29:28 x4, 28:29)

Middleweight (75 kg / 165 lbs)

Amankul – Shakhsuvarly – 4:1 (30:27 x2, 29:28 x2, 28:29)

Khizhnyak - Isley – 4:1 (30:25, 30:27 x2, 29:28, 28:29)

Light Heavyweight (81 kg / 178 lbs)

La Cruz – Mina Caicedo – 5:0 (29:26 x5)

Ward – Melikuziev – 3:2 (30:27, 30:27, 29:28, 28:29, 27:30)

Heavyweight (91 kg / 202 lbs)

Tischenko – Tursunov – 5:0 (30:27 x4, 29:28)

Savon – Levit – 3:2 (30:27, 29:28, 29:28, 28:29, 28:29)

Super Heavyweight (91+ kg / 202+ lbs)

Kunkabayev – Arsene – 5:0 (30:26 x4, 29:28)

Medjidov – Goodall – 4:1 (30:26, 29:28 x3, 28:29)

Finals

Light Flyweight (49 kg / 108 lbs)

Argilagos – Dusmatov – 3:2 (29:28, 29:28, 28:29, 27:30, 29:28)

Flyweight (52 kg / 114 lbs)

Veitia – Latipov – 5:0 (29:28 x4, 30:27)

Bantamweight (56 kg / 123 lbs)

Yeraliev – Ragan – 3:2 (30:27, 29:28, 29:28, 28:29, 27:30)

Lightweight (60 kg / 132 lbs)

Oumiha – Alvarez Estrada – 5:0 (30:27 x2, 29:28 x3)

Light Welterweight (64 kg / 141 lbs)

Cruz Gomez – Kholdarov – 5:0 (30:27 x4, 29:28 x1)

Welterweight (69 kg / 152 lbs)

Giyasov – Iglesias – 5:0 (30:27 x4, 30:26)

Middleweight (75 kg / 165 lbs)

Khizhnyak – Amankul – 5:0 (30:26, 30:27 x3, 29:28)

Light Heavyweight (81 kg / 178 lbs)

La Cruz – Ward – 5:0 (30:27 x2, 29:28 x3)

Heavyweight (91 kg / 202 lbs)

Savon – Tischenko – 3:2 (30:27, 30:27, 29:28, 28:29, 28:29)

Super Heavyweight (91+ kg / 202+ lbs)

Medjidov – Kunkabayev – 4:1 (29:28 x4, 28:29)