European Championships

The European Elite Boxing Championships concluded in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Friday after nine days of action at the Asics Arena Sports Hall, with over 350 bouts taking place. Boxers from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Ireland, Hungary, Russia, Serbia and Türkiye claimed the final 14 gold medals.

Six European champions were crowned on Thursday, leaving 14 titles to be decided in Friday’s closing session.

Türkiye’s Olympic silver medallist Hatice Akbas moved down to women’s 51kg for this competition and faced Spain’s World bronze medallist Laura Fuertes in the final. A dominant performance saw Akbas secure gold with a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Serbia’s Sara Cirkovic defeated Türkiye’s World Champion and Olympic silver medallist Buse Naz Cakiroglu and Russia’s Anastasiia Kool en-route to the women’s 54kg final against Finland’s Pihla Kaivo-Oja. The Finnish southpaw held a narrow advantage after two rounds, but Cirkovic finished strongly to secure a 3:2 split-decision victory.

Hungary’s Vladislava Kukhta continued her impressive form against Russia’s Liudmila Vorontsova in the women’s 57kg final. Kukhta’s effective counter-punching helped her secure a 5:0 unanimous decision and Hungary’s only gold medal of the championships.

Serbia’s Kristina Kuluhova and France’s Sthelyne Grosy both impressed on their way to the women’s 60kg final. Kuluhova applied pressure and timed her punches well against Grosy, maintaining her focus until the final bell to claim gold with a 4:1 split decision.

Hungary’s second finalist, Luca Hamori, faced Russia’s Azaliia Amineva in the women’s 65kg division. Amineva delivered a strong performance to secure a 5:0 unanimous victory.

Türkiye’s Tokyo Olympic Champion Busenaz Surmeneli faced England’s Chantelle Reid in the women’s 70kg final. The Turkish boxer added another European title to her collection with a convincing 5:0 unanimous decision.

Ireland’s Aoife O’Rourke defeated Türkiye’s Busra Isildar in the women’s 75kg final, winning by 5:0 unanimous decision. Her victory followed gold for her sister, Lisa O’Rourke, in the women’s 80kg division on Thursday.

Russia’s Viacheslav Rogozin faced England’s Abdul-Rahman Burton in the men’s 55kg final. Burton tried to use his reach advantage, but Rogozin’s speed helped him secure a 5:0 unanimous victory.

Bulgaria’s only finalist, Radoslav Rosenov, faced Ukraine’s Aider Abduraimov in the men’s 60kg title contest. After difficult quarter-final and semi-final bouts, Rosenov delivered a commanding performance, using his counter-attacking skills to claim a 5:0 unanimous victory in front of the home crowd.

Russia’s Sergei Koldenkov completed his successful campaign in the men’s 70kg division with a 5:0 unanimous victory over Azerbaijan’s Nabi Isgandarov.

The men’s 75kg final also brought Russia and Azerbaijan together, but this time Azerbaijan took gold. Saidjamshid Jafarov, who previously represented Uzbekistan, defeated Russia’s Ismail Mutsolgov by 5:0 unanimous decision to become European Champion.

Serbia’s Rastko Simic faced Russia’s Cheerav Ashalaev in the men’s 80kg final. Simic used his reach effectively in the opening round, but Ashalaev increased the tempo in the second and finished strongly in the third to secure a 5:0 unanimous victory.

Spain’s Olympic bronze medallist and top seed Enmanuel Reyes Pla faced Türkiye’s Emrah Yasar in the men’s 90kgfinal. Both boxers showed strong defensive skills in a tactical contest, but Yasar secured the title with a 5:0 unanimous decision.

England’s Commonwealth Games champion Damar Thomas and Russia’s David Surov contested the final bout of the championships in the men’s +90kg division. Thomas held a significant height advantage, forcing Surov to close the distance. The Russian’s pressure paid off as he earned a 3:2 split-decision victory to claim the tournament’s last gold medal.

The championships featured 43 teams, including the World Boxing Refugee Team, alongside Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and Ukraine.

Russia topped the overall medal table with seven golds, five silvers and three bronzes, followed by Türkiye with four golds, one silver and five bronzes. Azerbaijan finished third with two golds, one silver and two bronzes.

Today’s final session got underway at 17:00 local time and included the remaining gold medal bouts and medal ceremonies. All results and additional event information are available at https://bul.xboxing.world/.

The entire competition was livestreamed on https://eurovisionsport.com/en with replays available.

World Boxing will be posting updates for future events 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.

Azerbaijan, Ireland, Russia, Türkiye and Ukraine shared the first six gold medals at the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia on Thursday, 24 September, with Russia claiming two titles during the evening session.

Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota faced Russia’s Iuliia Chumgalakova in the women’s 48kg final. Chumgalakova started strongly to take the lead on the scorecards. The Ukrainian southpaw increased the pressure in the second round, but Chumgalakova remained in control to secure the tournament’s first title with a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Ireland’s Lisa O’Rourke, the 2022 World Champion, continued her impressive campaign at women’s 80kg against Russia’s Anastasiia Demurchian. O’Rourke judged the distance well from the opening bell and maintained her focus throughout to claim gold with a 4:1 split decision.

Türkiye’s Havvanur Kethuda capped an impressive tournament by winning the women’s +80kg title. The teenager controlled the early exchanges against Russia’s Kseniia Olifirenko and did enough to secure gold in a closely contested final, winning by a 3:2 split decision.

Azerbaijan’s European U23 Champion Subhan Mamedov used his counter-attacking style effectively against Russia’s Bair Batlaev in the men’s 50kg final. Mamedov made good use of his reach to secure a 4:1 split decision and Azerbaijan’s first gold medal of the championships.

Ukraine’s Elvin Aliiev claimed the men’s 65kg title after his final against France’s World Boxing Cup winner Hugo Grau was stopped in the first round. An eyelid cut sustained by Grau in his semi-final reopened, prompting the referee to end the contest on medical advice. Aliiev was awarded victory by RSC-I, securing Ukraine’s first gold in Sofia.

France’s second finalist, European U23 Champion Junior Tadah, faced Russia’s Dmitrii Karmanov in the men’s 85kg final. Karmanov secured a 5:0 unanimous decision to deliver Russia’s second gold medal of the evening.

The remaining semi-finals also took place on Thursday. Hungary’s Vladislava Kukhta faced Ireland’s Michaela Walshin the women’s 57kg division after both had overcome strong opponents in the quarter-finals. Kukhta, a World Boxing Cup silver medallist, made a successful start to their tactical contest and maintained her advantage to reach the final with a 4:1 split decision.

Bulgaria’s Radoslav Rosenov had the home crowd behind him for his men’s 60kg semi-final against Spain’s Ewart Andres Marin Hernandez. Rosenov established a lead after two rounds and used his counter-attacking skills as Marin pressed forward in the third, securing his place in the final with a 4:1 split decision.

France’s Sthelyne Grosy, who defeated England’s former World Champion Amy Broadhurst in the quarter-finals, overcame Türkiye’s Gizem Ozer in the women’s 60kg semi-finals. Grosy led on four of the five judges’ scorecards after the opening round before Ozer increased the pressure. Despite the Turkish boxer’s efforts to turn the contest around, Grosy held on for a 3:2 split-decision victory.

Serbia’s European Champion Sara Cirkovic followed her quarter-final victory over Türkiye’s Olympic silver medallist Buse Naz Cakiroglu with another impressive performance against Russia’s Anastasiia Kool. Cirkovic used her long-range boxing effectively to reach the women’s 54kg final with a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Finland’s Pihla Kaivo-Oja secured the other place in the women’s 54kg final after defeating the Czech Republic’s Lenka Bernardova. The Paris Olympic quarter-finalist faced a strong challenge in the second round but finished well to earn a 4:1 split decision, setting up a gold-medal contest against Cirkovic.

Today’s final session will take place at 17:00 local time and will include the remaining gold medal bouts and medal ceremonies. 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.

North Macedonia’s Alen Rustemovski guaranteed a senior European boxing medal on Wednesday, 23 September, while Spain enjoyed three wins from three bouts in the afternoon session of the European Elite Boxing Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Rustemovski defeated Armenia’s Artur Bazeyan by a 4:1 split decision in the men’s 60kg quarter-finals to secure at least bronze. His achievement adds to North Macedonia’s European boxing medal history, following Veli Mumin’s bronze medals in 2006 and 2008. Rustemovski will face Ukraine’s Aider Abduraimov in the semi-finals.

Serbia’s Sara Cirkovic produced one of the day’s biggest upsets in the women’s 54kg division, defeating Türkiye’s Olympic silver medallist Buse Naz Cakiroglu by a 3:2 split decision to reach the semi-finals.

Spain’s Laura Fuertes Fernandez reached the women’s 51kg final after defeating Germany’s Maxi Klötzer by a 3:2 split decision. She will face Türkiye’s Hatice Akbas, who overcame Poland’s Natalia Kuczewska by a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Finland’s Pihla Kaivo-Oja and the Czech Republic’s Lenka Bernardova both secured medals at women’s 54kg. Kaivo-Oja defeated France’s Wassila Lkhadiri 4:1, while Bernardova recorded a 5:0 victory over England’s Lauren Mackie.

France’s Sthelyne Grosy eliminated England’s former world champion Amy Broadhurst by a 4:1 split decision in the women’s 60kg quarter-finals and will face Türkiye’s Gizem Ozer in the semi-finals. Serbia’s Kristina Kuluhova also advanced at 60kg, where she will meet Kosovo’s world bronze medallist Donjeta Sadiku.

Hungary’s Luca Hamori reached the women’s 65kg final after defeating Poland’s Kinga Krowka 4:1. She will face Russia’s Azaliia Amineva, who defeated Armenia’s Elida Kocharyan by a 5:0 unanimous decision.

Türkiye’s Olympic champion Busenaz Surmeneli reached the women’s 70kg final after defeating Russia’s Nadezhda Golubeva by a 3:2 split decision. England’s Chantelle Reid joined her in the final after overcoming Serbia’s Milena Matovic by the same margin.

Bulgaria’s Radoslav Rosenov defeated Russia’s Vsevolod Shumkov 3:2 in the men’s 60kg quarter-finals and will face Spain’s Ewart Andres Marin Hernandez, who edged Ireland’s Jude Gallagher by the same score.

Serbia’s Rastko Simic, Russia’s Chezrav Ashalaev, England’s Oladimeji Shittu and Ukraine’s Pavlo Illiusha all secured medals in the men’s 80kg division.

Spain’s Olympic and world bronze medallist Enmanuel Reyes Pla reached the men’s 90kg final after defeating Georgia’s Georgii Kushitashvili by a 3:2 split decision. He will face Türkiye’s Emrah Yasar, who defeated Germany’s Kevin Lebowski 5:0.

The evening session brought further quarter-final and semi-final action, with more medals guaranteed and places in the finals decided.

Bulgaria’s Rami Kiwan advanced to the men’s 75kg semi-finals after defeating Poland’s Mateusz Urban by a 5:0 unanimous decision. He will face Russia’s Ismail Mutsolgov in the last four.

Ireland’s Michaela Walsh produced another major upset in the women’s 57kg division, eliminating home favourite and former world champion Stanimira Petrova by a 5:0 unanimous decision. Walsh will face Hungary’s Vladislava Kukhtain the semi-finals. Türkiye’s Esra Yildiz Kahraman also advanced at 57kg and will face Russia’s Liudmila Vorontsova.

Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota defeated Türkiye’s Nurselen Yalgettekin 4:1 to reach the women’s 48kg final, where she will meet Russia’s Iulia Chumgalakova.

Türkiye’s Busra Isildar defeated Norway’s Sunniva Hofstad by a 3:2 split decision in the women’s 75kg semi-finals. She will face Ireland’s Aoife O’Rourke, who secured a 4:1 victory over Russia’s Saltanat Medenova.

Ireland’s Lisa O’Rourke joined her sister in the finals after defeating Ukraine’s Iryna Lutsak by a 5:0 unanimous decision in the women’s 80kg semi-finals. She will face Russia’s Anastasiia Demurchian for gold.

Türkiye’s Havvanur Kethuda also reached the women’s +80kg final after stopping Poland’s Elzbieta Wojcik. She will face Russia’s Ksenia Olifirenko.

Azerbaijan’s Subhan Mamedov advanced to the men’s 50kg final after defeating Türkiye’s Samet Gumus by a 3:2 split decision and will meet Russia’s Bair Batlaev.

France’s Hugo Grau defeated Finland’s Ismail Umar 4:1 in the men’s 65kg semi-finals and will face Ukraine’s Elvin Aliiev for gold. Russia’s Sergei Koldenkov also reached the men’s 70kg final, where he will meet Azerbaijan’s Nabi Isgandarov.

France’s Junior Tadah defeated Austria’s Michael Fares Derouiche by a 4:1 split decision to reach the men’s 85kg final, where he will face Russia’s Dmitrii Karmanov. England’s Commonwealth Games champion Damar Thomas and Russia’s David Surov will contest the men’s +90kg final.

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 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.