NEWS

Finland’s Ismail Umar guaranteed his country’s first senior men’s European boxing medal in 20 years on Tuesday, 22 September, as quarter-final action continued on day six of the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia.

Umar defeated Georgia’s Lasha Gagnidze by a 5:0 unanimous decision in the men’s 65kg division, securing at least bronze. He became Finland’s first male European medallist since Robert Helenius won silver in 2006 and will face France’s Hugo Grau in the semi-finals.

Ireland’s Aoife O’Rourke and Lisa O’Rourke, Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota and Russia’s Iulia Chumgalakova were among the other boxers to reach the last four during the evening session.

Aoife O’Rourke won one of the evening’s most anticipated contests, defeating Poland’s Agata Kaczmarska by a 3:2 split decision in the women’s 75kg quarter-finals. Kaczmarska, who moved down to the division this year, remained competitive throughout the closely fought contest.

Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota advanced to the women’s 48kg semi-finals with a 5:0 unanimous victory over Hungary’s Lilla Szeleczki. The Hungarian looked quick in the early exchanges, but Okhota used her longer reach effectively to secure victory. She will face Türkiye’s Nurselen Yalgettekin for a place in the final.

Russia’s Iulia Chumgalakova defeated Spain’s Marta Lopez del Arbol by a 4:1 split decision in another competitive women’s 48kg quarter-final. Chumgalakova established a narrow advantage in the opening round before Lopez del Arbol increased the pressure in the second.

Ireland’s Lisa O’Rourke joined her sister Aoife in the semi-finals after defeating England’s Emily Asquith by a 5:0 unanimous decision in the women’s 80kg division. Lisa O’Rourke will face Ukraine’s Iryna Lutsak in the last four.

Russia’s Bair Batlaev advanced to the men’s 50kg semi-finals after his quarter-final against Spain’s Martin Molina was stopped due to an injury to the Spaniard in the first round.

Azerbaijan’s Subhan Mamedov and Türkiye’s Samet Gumus also progressed at 50kg. Mamedov edged Hungary’s Istvan Szaka by a 3:2 split decision, while Gumus defeated Ukraine’s Maksym Rudyk 4:1.

France’s Hugo Grau secured another international medal with a 3:2 split-decision victory over Poland’s Bartlomiej Roskowicz in the men’s 65kg quarter-finals. The World Boxing Cup gold medallist maintained his composure through the final round to set up his semi-final against Umar.

Moldova’s Alexandru Paraschiv also advanced at 65kg, defeating Austria’s Emin Yildiz by a 5:0 unanimous decision. The experienced Moldovan southpaw applied pressure from the opening seconds to secure his place in the last four.

The men’s +90kg division produced a strong semi-final line-up, with Russia’s David Surov, Azerbaijan’s Mahammad Abdullayev, Austria’s Ahmed Hagag and England’s Commonwealth Games champion Damar Thomas all guaranteeing medals.

Surov, Hagag and Thomas earned 5:0 unanimous victories over Armenia’s Davit Chaloyan, Belgium’s Mohamed Walid Bourkha and Georgia’s Nikoloz Begadze, respectively. Abdullayev completed the line-up with a 3:2 split-decision win over Norway’s Omar Shiha.

Today’s two sessions will take place at 13:30 and 18:00 local time. The schedule, live results and additional event information are available at bul.xboxing.world.

The entire competition will be livestreamed on https://eurovisionsport.com/en.

World Boxing will be posting updates throughout on its social media channels:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/officialworldboxing
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing
X – https://x.com/RealWorldBoxing
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-boxing

Press release issued by European Boxing Federation and adapted by World Boxing.

Bulgaria’s Stanimira Petrova and Georgia’s Luka Matchutadze defeated top-seeded opponents on day five of the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia on Monday, while eight boxers guaranteed medals in the men’s 70kg and 85kg divisions.

In the opening session, Kosovo’s world medallist and Olympian Donjeta Sadiku impressed against Russia’s Alina Pushkar in the women’s 60kg division. Sadiku established an early lead and maintained control through to the final bell, earning a 5:0 unanimous decision to reach the quarter-finals.

Georgia’s Luka Matchutadze produced one of the day’s biggest upsets, defeating France’s world silver medallist and men’s 80kg top seed Yojerlin Cesar by a 3:1 split decision. Matchutadze applied pressure from the opening minute, while the French southpaw sought to reorganise his defence and keep his opponent at distance. The Georgian maintained his challenge to secure a place in the last eight.

Türkiye’s Gizem Ozer overcame Poland’s Aneta Rygielska in a contest between two experienced Olympians at women’s 60kg. Rygielska pressed forward, but Ozer found her range and secured a 4:1 split-decision victory. She joined teammates Buse Naz Cakiroglu and Hatice Akbas, who had already reached the quarter-finals in their respective divisions.

Bulgaria’s Radoslav Rosenov opened his campaign with a convincing performance against Romania’s Andrei Valentin Gavae in the men’s 60kg division. The home favourite used his counter-attacking skills to establish a clear advantage and progressed with a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Ireland’s Jude Gallagher recovered from a slow start against France’s Lounes Hamraoui in the same division. Trailing on four judges’ scorecards after the opening round, Gallagher responded strongly in the second before securing a third-round stoppage to reach the quarter-finals.

Austria’s Lucky Osaro Aimufua also overturned an early deficit, defeating Spain’s Pablo Coy Bernal in the men’s 80kg round of 16. Aimufua increased his intensity after falling behind in the first round and finished strongly to earn a 3:0 points victory.

The evening session featured eight quarter-finals across the men’s 70kg and 85kg divisions, guaranteeing medals for boxers from Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, France, Ireland and Russia.

In the women’s 57kg round of 16, England’s Elise Glynn faced another Olympic medallist after defeating Italy’s Irma Testa in her opening bout. Türkiye’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman took an early lead and, despite Glynn’s attempts to increase the pace, secured a 5:0 unanimous victory.

Yildiz Kahraman will meet Romania’s Lacramioara Perijoc in the quarter-finals after the former world silver medallist defeated Croatia’s Nikolina Cacic by the same margin.

Bulgaria’s Stanimira Petrova continued her successful return to international competition by defeating Poland’s Olympic silver medallist Julia Szeremeta in one of the evening’s most anticipated contests. Both boxers enjoyed strong moments, but Petrova did enough to secure a 4:1 split decision and a place in the women’s 57kg quarter-finals.

Hungary’s Vladislava Kukhta also advanced at 57kg, stopping Greece’s Panagiota Kouzilou in the third round. She will face France’s Amina Zidani, with a guaranteed medal at stake.

Russia’s Sergei Koldenkov secured his place on the men’s 70kg podium with a 5:0 unanimous victory over Spain’s Frank Martinez Bernad. In a contest between two southpaws, Koldenkov’s effective jab and strength helped him establish control.

He will face France’s Makan Traore in the semi-finals after Traore edged Ukraine’s Mark Lomakin by a 3:2 split decision. Azerbaijan’s Nabi Isgandarov and Ireland’s Jon McConnell completed the semi-final line-up with victories over Hungary’s Kalman Hanko and Italy’s Gabriele Guidi Rontani, respectively.

France’s Junior Tadah guaranteed at least bronze in the men’s 85kg division after a closely contested quarter-final against Germany’s Valerij Walter. Walter responded well in the second round, but Tadah’s strong finish secured a 3:2 split-decision victory.

Russia’s Dmitrii Karmanov and Croatia’s Antonio Grabic also reached the last four, defeating Spain’s Adrian Fresneda Ricardo and Italy’s Marvin Ghilarducci, respectively.

Austria’s Michael Fares Derouiche completed the men’s 85kg semi-final line-up with a 5:0 unanimous victory over Moldova’s Andrei Chiriacov. After winning a historic world bronze medal for Austria in Liverpool last year, Derouicheis now guaranteed another podium finish in Sofia.

Today’s two sessions will take place at 13:30 and 18:00 local time. The schedule, live results and additional event information are available at bul.xboxing.world.

The entire competition will be livestreamed on https://eurovisionsport.com/en.

World Boxing will be posting updates throughout on its social media channels:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/officialworldboxing

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing

X – https://x.com/RealWorldBoxing

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-boxing

Press release issued by European Boxing Federation and adapted by World Boxing.

Finland’s Ismail Umar and Belgium’s Mohamed Walid Bourkha delivered two of the standout victories on day four of the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia, while the women’s +80kg quarter finals confirmed four medallists.

Hungary’s Zsofia Szira secured her place on the podium with a 5:0 unanimous decision over Armenia’s Ani Muradyan. The Hungarian controlled the contest to advance to the women’s +80kg semi-finals and guarantee at least a bronze medal.

Russia’s Kseniia Olifirenko also secured a medal, defeating Moldova’s Daria Sazonova by a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Poland’s Olympian Elzbieta Wojcik joined them in the semi-finals after a commanding performance against Ireland’s Cliona D’Arcy. The Polish boxer impressed throughout their three-round contest to earn a 5:0 unanimous victory.

Türkiye’s Havvanur Kethuda completed the semi-final line-up by stopping Ukraine’s Mariia Lovchynska in the second round.

In the men’s 65kg division, Finland’s Ismail Umar overcame Russia’s Rasul Magomedov to reach the quarter-finals. Magomedov made the stronger start, but Umar responded in the second round before producing a determined finish to secure a 4:0 points victory, with one judge scoring the bout level.

Belgium’s Mohamed Walid Bourkha produced a dramatic comeback against Croatia’s Luka Pratljacic in the men’s +90kg division. The Croatian led on the scorecards after two rounds, but Bourkha turned the contest around with his powerful punching in the third. The referee stopped the bout one minute and 37 seconds into the final round, sending the Belgian into the quarter-finals.

France’s Hugo Grau also advanced after defeating Ireland’s Olympian Dean Clancy in an eagerly anticipated men’s 65kg contest. The Frenchman’s effective boxing earned him a 5:0 unanimous decision and a place in the last eight.

The earlier session brought disappointment for the home crowd as Czechia’s Lenka Bernardova defeated Bulgaria’s Venelina Poptoleva in the women’s 54kg division. Poptoleva started strongly, but Bernardova responded in the second round and edged the contest by a 3:2 split decision.

Serbia’s Milena Matovic delivered another notable victory, overcoming France’s Maelys Richol in the women’s 70kg division. Richol sought to use her longer reach to keep the Serbian at distance, but Matovic’s aggressive approach proved effective as she secured a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Italy’s Sirine Charaabi progressed to the women’s 54kg quarter-finals with a 5:0 unanimous victory over Portugal’s Sofia Resende. The Italian controlled the centre of the ring in the opening round and maintained her advantage despite a spirited response from her opponent.

Russia’s Anastasiia Kool made a decisive start in the same division, stopping Armenia’s Lusya Avetisyan in the first round. Serbia’s Sara Cirkovic also advanced with an accomplished technical performance, defeating Ukraine’s Inna Statkevych by a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Türkiye’s Olympic silver medallist Buse Naz Cakiroglu opened her campaign at 54kg with a second-round stoppage of Azerbaijan’s Zeynab Rahimova.

Finland’s Paris Olympic quarter-finalist Pihla Kaivo-Oja also reached the last eight at 54kg, defeating Poland’s Wiktoria Rogalinska by a 5:0 unanimous decision. Following a competitive opening round, the Finnish boxer maintained her momentum through the second and third rounds to secure victory.

In the men’s 90kg division, England’s Isaac Okoh advanced with a 5:0 unanimous win over Poland’s Alexey Sevostyanov. The English boxer remained focused throughout a competitive contest to book his quarter-final place.

Germany’s Kevin Lebowski joined him in the last eight, defeating Azerbaijan’s Rauf Rahimov by a 4:1 split decision.

Two sessions will take place at 13:30 and 18:00 local time on Saturday. The schedule, live results and additional event information are available at bul.xboxing.world.

The entire competition will be livestreamed on https://eurovisionsport.com/en.

World Boxing will be posting updates throughout on its social media channels:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/officialworldboxing

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing

X – https://x.com/RealWorldBoxing

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-boxing

Press release issued by European Boxing Federation and adapted by World Boxing.

Bulgaria’s former World and European champion Stanimira Petrova made a winning return to the ring on day three of the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia, while England’s Elise Glynn and Croatia’s Sara Beram secured notable victories.

Competing for the first time since the Paris Olympic Games, Petrova found her rhythm in the second minute against Slovakia’s Bibiana Lovasova, using well-timed counter-punches to take the lead on the scorecards. A second-round knockdown helped the Bulgarian secure victory in front of her home crowd.

Italy’s Irma Testa, who also returned to international competition this year, held a narrow advantage after the opening round against England’s Elise Glynn in the women’s 57kg. However, Glynn responded well to instructions from her corner, using her speed and strong jabs to turn the contest around and eliminate one of the gold medal favourites.

Spain’s Marta Lopez del Arbol returned to the women’s 48kg and began strongly against Armenia’s Heghine Petrosyan. The Bocskai Memorial Tournament gold medallist landed well-timed jabs to establish a solid advantage after two rounds. Drawing on eight years of international experience, Lopez del Arbol controlled the contest to secure her place in the quarter-finals.

European champion Iulia Chumgalakova of Russia also advanced in the women’s 48kg, using her footwork to create attacking opportunities against Georgia’s Nino Chitadze. Her accurate jabs helped her secure victory, while Türkiye’s European U23 champion Nurselen Yalgettekin and Italy’s Chiara Mosetti also delivered impressive performances in the evening session.

Poland’s Agata Kaczmarska, who won the women’s 80kg+ world title last year, competed at 75kg with the Los Angeles Olympic Games in her sights. She controlled the distance against France’s Olympian Davina Michel in the opening round and maintained her strong performance in the second to progress to the quarter-finals.

Ireland’s Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jon McConnell rounded off the evening session with victory over Poland’s Damian Durkacz in the men’s 70kg.

Earlier, Croatia’s Sara Beram delivered one of the morning session’s standout results by defeating England’s Sacha Hickey in the women’s 65kg. Hickey, a European U23 champion who competed at the World Boxing Championshipsin Liverpool last year, was among the seeded contenders. However, Beram executed her coaches’ strategy effectively to eliminate the English boxer.

Türkiye’s former world champion Hatice Akbas competed at women’s 51kg against France’s European U22 champion Romane Moulai. Akbas used her longer reach to keep her opponent at distance in the opening round and continued to follow her corner’s tactical plan in the second.

France’s Olympic silver medallist Billal Bennama followed his opening victory with another demanding contest against Serbia’s Artur Nagapetjan. Bennama used his footwork to evade attacks and counter-punched effectively against his opponent. He advanced to the men’s 55kg quarter-finals, joining Russia’s Viacheslav Rogozin, Azerbaijan’s Amin Mammadzada and Kosovo’s Bashkim Bajoku.

Bulgaria’s Olympic bronze medallist Javier Ibanez also progressed in the men’s 55kg after defeating Italy’s Tommaso Sciacca. Ibanez held a narrow 3:2 lead on the judges’ scorecards after the opening round before increasing the tempo in the second and securing a convincing victory to delight the home crowd.

Two sessions will take place at 13:30 and 18:00 local time on Saturday. The schedule, live results and additional event information are available at bul.xboxing.world.

The entire competition will be livestreamed on https://eurovisionsport.com/en.

World Boxing will be posting updates throughout on its social media channels:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/officialworldboxing

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing

X – https://x.com/RealWorldBoxing

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-boxing

Press release issued by European Boxing Federation and adapted by World Boxing.

Austria enjoyed a perfect second day at the European Elite Boxing Championships, with Lucky Aimufua, Emin Yildiz and Fares Derouiche all securing victories during an action-packed programme of 49 bouts across two sessions in Sofia.

Competing at M80kg, Lucky Aimufua opened Austria’s account with a unanimous 5-0 victory over Germany’s Ramil Schaefer.

At M65kg, Emin Yildiz controlled all three rounds against Croatia’s experienced Filip Poturovic to record another unanimous victory for Austria. His teammate and 2025 World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Fares Derouiche completed the perfect day by edging Ukraine’s Matvii Razhba 3-2 at M85kg.

In the morning session, Türkiye’s Gizem Özer opened her W60kg campaign with a commanding victory. The 25-year-old was too experienced for Sweden’s Berevan Hassan, with her powerful punches prompting the referee to stop the contest.

Ireland’s Jude Gallagher, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, made a solid start to his M60kg campaign against Slovakia’s Maksym Bocarov. Gallagher maintained his distance well before increasing the tempo in the second round and going on to secure a unanimous 5-0 victory.

Azerbaijan’s Mahammadali Ashiraliyev also impressed at M60kg. The 20-year-old proved a difficult target for Lithuania’s experienced Edgaras Skurdelis, who began boxing nearly 20 years ago. Ashiraliyev’s energy and movement helped him earn a unanimous 5-0 victory.

In the evening session, Ireland’s Paris 2024 Olympian Dean Clancy faced Germany’s Mohamed Siala in the opening M65kg contest. Clancy started strongly to establish an early advantage and finished with an impressive third round to secure a 3-2 split-decision victory.

Sweden’s Kevin Scott is competing at M75kg as he targets a medal for his country. Scott’s father was an Olympic medallist at Seoul 1988, and the Swedish boxer demonstrated his own potential by defeating Ukraine’s European U23 champion Dzhamal Kuliiev 5-0.

Spain’s Olympian Oier Ibarreche proved a difficult target for Israel’s European quarter-finalist Ahmad Shtiwi in their M65kg Round of 32 contest. The Spanish southpaw moved into range with excellent timing, and his speed made the difference in the opening round. Ibarreche continued to control the exchanges in the second and third rounds to claim a 4-1 victory.

Belgium’s Rasul Tisayev, who won the Brussels Capital Tournament last year, began his M65kg bout against Slovakia’s Juraj Bona with excellent footwork and established an early lead on the scorecards. The 21-year-old maintained that level throughout the contest to earn a unanimous 5-0 victory.

Two sessions will take place at 13:30 and 18:00 local time on Saturday. The schedule, live results and additional event information are available at bul.xboxing.world.

The entire competition will be livestreamed on https://eurovisionsport.com/en.

World Boxing will be posting updates throughout on its social media channels:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/officialworldboxing

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing

X – https://x.com/RealWorldBoxing

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/world-boxing

Press release issued by European Boxing Federation and adapted by World Boxing.