WALKER ADVANCES AT WORLD ELITES BUT AFANASEV BOWS OUT

 

Mixed 4-1 split decision fortunes on Day 7 at World Elites with Kurt Walker advancing but Kiril Afanasev bowing out.

Kurt Walker booked his ticket into the last 16 of the World Elites on a split decision over Columbian southpaw David Avila in Ekaterinburg, Russia today.

Antrim’s current European champion, the No. 6 seed in the featherweight class, won 4-1 in his first bout at the tournament.

Scores – 30-27,29-28,29-28,29-28 for Walker and 30-27 against.

Avila threatened when he cut down space, but Walker, working off simple but effective two-punch combinations and body shots, was always one step ahead of his durable opponent.

Canada’s Robin Basran awaits for a place in the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Basran beat Cuadra Guerrero, Nicaragua’s only boxer in Russia, earlier today.

Dublin heavyweight Afanasev dropped a 4-1 split verdict to Bulgaria’s Radoslav Panaleev.

Scores – 30-27,30-27,30-27, 29-28 to Panaleev and 29-28 to Afanasev.

The Smithfield BC man worked his jab to good effect in the opening round and both men delivered solid backhands in a rough three-rounder, but the judges leaned toward the aggression of the Bulgarian.

Meanwhile, Portlaoise BC middleweight Michael Nevin, who has two victories under his belt in Ekaterinburg, faces Russia’s Gleb Bakshi for a place in the last eight tomorrow.

Bakshi is the No. 8 seed in the 75kg class.

Antrim welter Aidan Walsh is in against England’s No.2 seed Pat McCormack in the last 32 on Monday in a repeat of the 2018 Commonwealth final which the Sunderland fighter won in Australia.

 

 

2019 World Elite Men’s Championships Ekaterinburg, Russia

September 15

Last 32

57kg Kurt Walker beat David Avila (Columbia) 4-1
91kg Kiril Afanasev (Ireland) lost to Radoslav Panaleev (Bulgaria) 1-4

September 16

Last 32

69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) v Pat McCormack (England)

Last 16

75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) v Gleb Bakshi (Russia)

September 17

57kg Kurt Walker (Ireland) v Robin Basran (Canada)

Results

September 15

Last 32

57kg Kurt Walker beat David Avila (Columbia) 4-1
91kg Kiril Afanasev (Ireland) lost to Radoslav Panaleev (Bulgaria)1-4

September 14

Last 32

75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) beat Vytautas Balsys (Lithuania) 5-0

September 13

Last 64

69kg Aidan Walsh (Ireland) beat Miroslav Kapuler-Cishchenko (Israel) 4-1

September 12

Last 64

52kg Regan Buckley (Ireland) lost to Aldoms Suquor (Indonesia) 2-3
63kg Wayne Kelly (Ireland) lost to Matthew Alexander (Trinidad & Tobago) 2-3

September 10

Last 64

81kg Kane Tucker (Ireland) lost to Erkin Adylbek (Kyrgyzstan) 0-5
91kg Kiril Afanasev (Ireland) beat Austin Aokuso (Australia) 5-0

September 9

Last 64

75kg Michael Nevin (Ireland) beat Andre1 Vreme (Moldova) 5-0

Irish squad

52kg: Regan Buckley (St Teresa’s)
57kg: Kurt Walker (Canal)
63kg: Wayne Kelly (Portlaoise)
69kg: Aidan Walsh (Monkstown)
75kg: Michael Nevin (Portlaoise)
81kg: Kane Tucker (Emerald)
91kg: Kiril Afanasev (Smithfield)

High-Performance Director: Bernard Dunne

Head coach: Zaur Antia

Coaches: John Conlan and Eoin Pluck

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