Irish light flyweight Paddy Barnes secured his place at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing with an emphatic win over Japan’s Kenji Ohkubo at the 2007 AIBA World Championships and Olympic qualifiers at the University of Illinois in Chicago last week
Twenty-year-old Barnes, from the Holy Family club in Belfast, was superb in the ring, taking the first three rounds and chalking up a commanding 24–6 win over Ohkubo to reach the quarter-finals, where the Ulsterman bowed out to reigning world and Asian 48kg champion Shiming Zou from China, who went one to retain his title in last Saturday’s final.
However, in reaching the final eight, Barnes ensured that Ireland will have at least one boxer at next year’s games in Beijing.
In his three tournament fights, Barnes racked up 87 points and conceded just 35 en route to becoming the third Irishman this century to qualify for the Olympics, following in the footsteps of Andy Lee in 2004 and Michael Roche in 2000. Barnes was the only Irish boxer from an 11-man squad to qualify for the Olympics in Chicago, although there will be two further Olympic qualifying tournaments in Italy and Greece early next year.
Meanwhile, world and three-time European lightweight (60kg) champion Katie Taylor claimed yet another victory after stopping Canadian Katie Dunn in Chicago last Saturday.
Taylor, of the St Fergal’s club in Bray, stopped the three-time Pan American Games champion on the 15-point rule in round one of their light welterweight (63kg) clash.
The bout, which took place before the men’s World Championships finals, was made to help promote women’s boxing as a future Olympic sport.
Women’s boxing has been ruled out for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. However, the female version of the noble art is being strongly tipped to make its debut at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Also, at the World Championships, Frankie Gavin – who has family ties in Tipperary – claimed a historic gold medal for England.
The Birmingham southpaw convincingly beat Italian Dominico Valentino, who himself defeated Ireland’s Eric Donovan in the last 16, to finish on top of the 60kg podium.
In total, 11 boxers won gold on Saturday, and 69 others won enough earlier bouts to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. With all of that accomplished, the AIBA World Boxing Championships ended 11 days of competition at the University of Illinois’ UIC Pavilion.
It was a particularly satisfying experience for the Russian team. By winning eight medals, including three gold and three silver in the finals, the Russians established themselves as the kingpins to beat in Beijing.
But it was also a positive tournament for others, particularly the Americans, Italians and Chinese.
Five US team members reached the quarter-finals, thereby qualifying for the Beijing games. And two, flyweight Raushee Warren and welterweight Demetrius Andrade, won gold, becoming the first US World Champions since 1999.
After outpointing Somjit Jongjohor of Thailand and scoring a knockdown in the process to capture the first U.S. gold, Warren said: “This reminded me of what Beijing is going to be. I’m a World Champion now, not number three or number two. I’m number one.”
He said he would hang his medal around his mother Paulette’s neck as he hopes to do at the Olympic Games.
In his final, Andrade dominated another Thai boxer, Non Boonjunmnong, with accurate flurries, building a 13–3 lead before his opponent retired in the second round, complaining of a right shoulder injury.
Calling it “the most important fight of my life”, Andrade said: “I was just taking my time and scoring.”
Among the biggest boxers, the Italians prevailed as gold medallists. In the heavyweight finals, Clemente Russo edged Rakhim Chakhkeiv of Russia 7–6. At super heavyweight, Roberto Cammarelle defeated Vyache-slav Glazkov of Ukraine.
The Chinese team came out of the quarter-finals in striking position, with five semi-finalists. Although only one, light flyweight Zou Shiming, made it to the finals, where he won a gold medal, Chinese featherweight bronze medallist Yang Li said: “This is a great breakthrough for China. We look forward to great things.”
In agreement, Zou – a gold medallist at the 2005 World Championships – added: “Boxing was a Western sport originally. Now, a Chinese boxer has won two championships.”
On Saturday, China’s Zou carried his nation’s flag when his victory over Harry Tanamor of the Philippines was announced in the ring, and saw at least three Chinese flags of equal size held in a supportive crowd. He and light welterweight Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan both acknowledged strong ethnic support from the crowd.
That sentiment was echoed by boxers from other parts of the globe such as Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, who found a diverse culture of fans showing their support with chants, cheers and national flags.
Italy’s Cammarelle, who won the final bout of the tournament, said: “It has been the dream of my life to win the gold medal with hard work.”
Asked if he would now expand his dream to include an Olympic gold medal, he said: “Of course. I want to win. I want to always win.”
Silver medallist Artur Beterbeiv said he was not surprised at his Russian team’s success in the Chicago tournament: “Russia has always been the best, will always be the best, and will do everything possible to prove it at the Olympics again.”
In other championship bouts on Saturday, Albert Selimov of Russia beat Ukrainian Vasyl Lomachenko at featherweight, Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan downed Russian Gennady Kovalev at light welterweight, and Matvey Korobov of Russia repeated by beating Alfonso Blanco of Venezuela at middleweight. Korobov and Sapiyev, like Zou, were gold medallists in 2005.
And in two close decisions, Sergei Vodopyanov of Russia edged Enkhbat Badar-Uugen of Mongolia at bantamweight, and Abbos Atoev of Uzbekistan got past Russian Beterbeiv at light heavyweight.
Bolstered by crowds of 4,212 and 5,173 for the final two sessions on Friday and Saturday, attendance at the 11-day tournament totalled 41,445.
AIBA World Championships 2007 Final Round
48kg: Harry Tanamor (Philip-pines) lost to Shiming Zou (China) 3–17
51kg: Somjit Jongjohor (Thai-land) lost to Raushee Warren (USA) 9–13
54kg: Sergey Vodopyanov (Russia) beat Enkhbat Badar-Uugan (Mongolia) 16–14
57kg: Albert Selimov (Russia) beat Vasyl Lomachenko (Ukraine) 16–11
60kg: Frankie Gavin (England) beat Domenico Valentino (Italy) 18–10
64kg: Serik Sapiyev (Kazakh-stan) beat Gennady Kovalev (Russia) 20-5
69kg: Demetrius Andrade (USA) beat Non Boonjumnong (Thailand) (R2 retirement)
75kg: Alfonso Blanco (Venezuela) lost to Matvey Korobov (Russia) 4–29
81kg: Artur Beterbiev (Russia) lost to Abbos Atoev (Uzbekistan) 17–20
91kg: Rakhim Chakhkeiv (Russia) lost to Clemente Russo (Italy) 6–7
91+kg: Vyacheslav Glazkov (Ukraine) lost to Roberto Cammarelle (Italy) 14–24
