The Official Draw confirmed that 310 boxers from 73 countries are attending the 12th edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships which is taking place in Istanbul, Turkey. The 7th Qinhuangdao edition in 2012 was the previous record-holder with the participation of 305 boxers from 70 nations, therefore, the Istanbul event breaks the previous achievement.
Several smaller developing countries will make their debuts in Istanbul such as Cape Verde, Chile, Haiti, Kosovo, Kuwait, Paraguay, Sierra Leone and Tonga. This edition will be their first-ever IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships and some of them are expecting to take their first wins too.
Boxers who were born between 1981 and 2002 are eligible to participate in the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships. Turkey hosted the second edition of the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Antalya in 2002 and the event returns to the country after 20 years.
Three of the winners from 2019 have an opportunity to defend their titles in Istanbul including Brazil’s Beatriz Ferreira, Chinese Taipei’s Huang 2Hsiao-Wen, and Turkey’s Busenaz Surmeneli. Ferreira and Huang will be fighting in their best categories as in the past, in the lightweight (60kg) and the bantamweight (54kg) accordingly. The local favorite Busenaz Surmeneli moved down to the new welterweight (66kg) and she is also gold medal hope for her country.
There will be 1/32 final contests on the opening day in Istanbul in the bantamweight (54kg) and featherweight (57kg) due to the number of participants. The IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships will open with 14 preliminary contests in the evening session. These contests will be held at the bantamweight (54kg), featherweight (57kg), light welterweight (63kg), and light middleweight (70kg).
Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu Ting won the title of the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi four years ago and she is one of the stars of the featherweight (57kg). Lin is taller and quicker than any of her opponents but she will have a strong first rival in Istanbul, France’s Sthelyne Grosy who achieved a silver medal at the Kielce 2021 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships. Their meeting is one of the most anticipated bouts of the first competition day in Istanbul.
Another favorite of the featherweight (57kg), the Vice-Chairwoman of the IBA Athletes Committee, Italy’s Irma Testa will start her campaign also in the first competition day against Mali’s Fatoumata Marine Camara. Former World Champion in the bantamweight (54kg), Bulgaria’s Stanimira Petrova moved back to this category and arrived in Istanbul with a perfect record this year, she will meet with strong Shera Mae Patricio from the USA in her first bout.
The last contest of the first competition day will be another unique re-match between Chinese Taipei’s 2018 AIBA Women’s World Champion Chen Nien Chin and India’s Lovlina Borgohain in the light middleweight (70kg). The Indian surprisingly won their last meeting, therefore, Chen plans to take revenge on the first day of boxing.