Erislandy Álvarez Triumphs in First Professional Boxing Cup Fight

November 17, 2024

Olympic champion Erislandy Álvarez defeated Kazakh Adilet Kurmetov today in the inaugural session of the Professional World Cup of the International Boxing Association, based in Beijing.

In an event dedicated to the quarterfinals of the 63.5 kilogram division, the also runner-up of the world won by unanimous decision after imposing absolute superiority during six rounds that became a nightmare for his brave rival.

Solid and combined attacks marked the performance of the young man from the Island, who in the third round temporarily sent Kurmetov to the canvas after hitting him with a series of blows delivered from different angles that ended with a right cross to the face.

The success, in line with predictions, allowed him to remain undefeated in four professional bouts and advance to the semifinal round of the novel tournament, awaiting confirmation from its organizers regarding matchups, date, and venue.

The surprise of the day was the upset of Frenchman Olympic runner-up and three-time world champion Soufiane Oumiha at the hands of Serbian Pavel Fedorov, who at the end of the fight seemed to be the first one surprised.

The others who smiled this Saturday were Tajik Bakhodur Usmonov and Russian Gabil Mamedov, victors over Chinese Le Quan Wang and Venezuelan Luis Arcón, respectively.