On the seventh day of the European Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event in Villebon-sur-Yvette, France, the semi-finals were held, with the victors moving on to the finals the following day.
S. Oumiha Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Many hopeful boxers competed in designated Box-offs as their final shot at making the Tokyo Olympics. A spectacular match between France’s S. Oumiha and Britain’s Luke McCormack left S. Oumiha with a chance to capture the gold medal in the Qualifications.
The European Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event started in London, and the top 176 boxers continued competing there. In total, 16 boxers qualified at London, while another 61 will have their Olympic fates decided in Villebon-sur-Yvette. At least one Olympic quota spot was secured by a total of twenty-one European countries.
“Men’s Lightweight (63 kg) Semi-Finals: S. Oumiha”
In the men’s lightweight (63 kg) semi-finals, the next French star, silver medalist and AIBA World Champion S. Oumiha, met Great Britain’s Luke McCormack, who he expected to give him a tough fight against his well-experienced foe.
In the past, both boxers have won major competitions, and their opening round in Paris was a fantastic match. McCormack landed a few blows on S. Oumiha in the second round, but the Frenchman only picked up the pace in the third.
S. Oumiha put up a stunning performance in the third round, employing his trademark game play to ensure that he not only maintained his superior fighting range but also thoroughly savoured every exciting second of the bout. The French won their match and will now box Dzmitry Asanau of Belarus for the gold medal at the European Games.
The Recap
Busenaz Cakiroglu, the current European Games champion and EUBC European Champion in women’s flyweight (51kg) for Turkey, faced off against the experienced and multiple-medal-winning Bulgarian fighter Stoyka Krasteva in the semi-finals.
In the semi-final, the Bulgarian got out to a fast start and tried to set the pace, but the Turkish player eventually reached her greatest distance. Cakiroglu spent much of this time on his feet, hopping into punching range and landing punches and double blows.
A unanimous decision was reached in favour of the Turkish fighter after she had her best round in the third. In the final match for the Qualifier gold medal, Cakiroglu will face off against Charley Davison of Great Britain.
In the semi-finals of the welterweight (69 kg) division, Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli took on Ukraine’s Anna Lysenko, who had previously defeated Surmeneli in the quarter-finals. With uppercuts and hooks from every direction, the 23-year-old Turkish boxer won the first round on all three judges’ cards, 10-9.
Final Words
Surmeneli was able to get in close and strike many clear punches in the second round, but her Ukrainian opponent proved more of a challenge than in the first.
In the third round, Surmeneli stunned the crowd by landing even harder punches than in the previous two rounds, allowing her to knock out the fatigued Ukrainian and advance to the final. Germany’s Nadine Apetz, who defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in the other semi-final, will face her in the finals for the gold medal.
