Following the example of the Tokyo Olympics: five Russian boxers guaranteed themselves World Cup medals in Belgrade

The men's world boxing championship is coming to an end in Belgrade.

In all 13 weight categories, the participants in the semifinals were determined and, accordingly, the winners of the medals of the first significant tournament after the Tokyo Olympics.

The Russian national team has already celebrated local success - for the first time since 2009, five of its boxers will rise to the podium.

It can also be called a success because the team is completely renewed in comparison with the Olympics. All the participants of those competitions stayed at home, including all five prize-winners, led by the champion Albert Batyrgaziev. Instead, only the winners of the last Russian championship, held in September in Kemerovo, which Olympic medalists missed, were included in the squad.

The longest way to the semifinals was made by Savely Sadoma, performing in weight up to 80 kg. He had to start the tournament with the 1/32 finals, where his opponent was the Thai Jakkapong Yomhot. Both athletes at that time did not represent their countries, but national federations - the World Anti-Doping Agency obliged Thailand to play under a neutral flag in the same way as Russia. Sadoma had good quality in the first two rounds, but got tired in the third and eventually won the first fight by split decision.

But in the next battle, he won a clear victory. Sadoma knocked out Ambartsum Hakobyan, vice-champion of Europe among youth, in the second round, forcing the judge to end the fight ahead of schedule. After that, the 23-year-old Russian confidently defeated Montenegrin Petar Marchic and Moldovan Andrei Chiryakov. In the semifinals, Sadoma will be opposed by the Belarusian Aleksey Alferov, who has the bronze medal of the junior world championship.

The most experienced member of the Russian national team, Vadim Musaev, was noted for a rare knockout for amateur boxing. He began his campaign for a medal in weight up to 71 kg by crushing the host of the competition Dejan Toskic in just 20 seconds. Having then defeated the Thai Pirapat Yesungnoen, the 28-year-old Russian, not without difficulty, passed the Indian Deva Nishant, to whom he lost the second round. However, this did not prevent him from continuing the fight and becoming a rival to Albanian Alban Bekiri in the semifinals.

Mark Petrovsky, representing the country in the heaviest category - over 92 kg, passed a difficult path to the same stage. If he won the first fight with Jamaican Riccardo Brown without any questions, then in the next fights not all judges were supportive of the 22-year-old fighter. He won victories over the German Nelvi Tiafak and the Ecuadorian Herlon Congo with an advantage of one vote. For reaching the final, Petrovsky will argue with Nigel Paul, who became the first representative of Trinidad and Tobago to secure a medal in the World Boxing Championship.

In light weights, the Russian national team will also have its own medalist.

Akhtem Zakirov reached the semifinals in the category up to 52 kg, simultaneously delighting himself and the fans with the knockdown of the Hungarian Attila Bernat.

After that, however, the 23-year-old Russian did not manage to defeat the Ecuadorian Luis Delgado as confidently - the Crimean native won this quarterfinal with a score of 3: 2.

The next fight Zakirov will hold against the American Roscoe Hill.

Finally, the fifth medalist of the World Boxing Championship from Russia will be Dzhambulat Bijamov, performing in the weight category up to 75 kg.

The 20-year-old athlete from Makhachkala is still performing brilliantly in Belgrade.

He won the first three fights by unanimous decision, despite the fact that among his opponents was the participant of the Olympics Georgy Kharabadze from Georgia.

Bijamov's next opponent will be the Thai Virapon Jonjoho.

Such a result of Russian boxers allows them to count on victory in the medal standings, the head coach of the team, Viktor Farkhutdinov, is sure.

However, he was not too happy with the result achieved.

“There is very serious competition at the World Championships, very strong boxers play in Belgrade, and now our team is fighting for the first team place.

Here the whole struggle is still ahead.

Five guaranteed medals?

I think it could have been better, "- quotes a specialist" Match TV ".

Vsevolod Shumkov was one of those whose medal was counted on in the national team.

In the weight up to 60 kg, he made his way to the quarterfinals, where for the third time in his career he met with Uzbekistani Abdumalik Khalokov.

The Russian lost two previous fights, including in the final of the youth world championship, and this time again he could not take revenge.

Farkhutdinov also complained about the departure of Sharabutdin Ataev, representing a weight of up to 86 kg.

The 22-year-old boxer started the tournament powerfully with a knockout of Lithuanian Tadas Tamashauskas and a victory over experienced Kyrgyz Erkin Adylbek.

For reaching the semifinals, Atayev argued with the bronze medalist of the Games in Tokyo Loren Alfonso, who changed his sports citizenship from Cuban to Azerbaijani.

In this fight, the Russian was defeated due to a lack of international experience, the national team coach said.