The Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament opened with 10 junior contests in the Czech Republic which event is a preparation for the upcoming EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships. Latvia’s Nikolajs Zamjatins, Czech Republic’s Katrin Ivanovova, Hungary’s Szebasztian Budai and his teammate, Zalan Doka were the bests on Day1.
Usti nad Labem is the boxing capital in the Czech Republic, the city is famous of its Grand Prix. Following the elite competition, Usti nad Labem hosts an international junior competition to give chance for their younger talents. The EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships will start in Montesilvano, Italy on September 25 and almost all of the participants of the Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament are planning to attend there.
The Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament was a regional event in the past but several new nations joined the competition. Boxers who were born in 2006 or in 2007 are eligible to compete in Usti nad Labem.
The bout of the day
Hungary’s Daniel Frank participated at the 2021 EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships in Tbilisi at the age of 15 and won one contest. The Hungarian competed in several junior tournaments in 2022 and he has the experience to beat top rivals in the international stage. The Budapest-based Frank was not able to find his best rhythm in the first round against Latvia’s Nikolajs Zamjatins and he needed advices from his corner in the break. The Hungarian was better in the second round but Zamjatins had the right responses in the tightest contest of the first day. The Latvian featherweight (57kg) boxer kept the control in the third round and celebrated an excellent success over a strong rival.
The Round-Up
Czech Republic’s Katrin Ivanovova competed at the 2021 EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia. Since that championship, she won several international tournaments and she is the Czech Republic’s highest hopes not only in Usti nad Labem but in Montesilvano too. Ivanovova moved up to the lightweight (60kg) but she is tall enough in this category to use her favourite weapon, the long-distance tactics. The 16-year-old Czech girl kept Slovenia’s Naca Nikolov Veber on long from the first seconds and she won all of the three rounds in Usti. Her Slovenian rival has a fantastic brother in our sport, Nik Nikolov Veber, who is member of their elite national team.
Hungary’s Peter Benedek won all of his schoolboy national events in 2021 and he joined the junior age group this January. The 15-year-old boxer lives and trains in Gheorgheni, in Transylvania but the ethnic Hungarian represents Hungary in the international events. Benedek had a few difficulties in the first round against Czech Republic’s Samuel Klabenes but he switched into an upgraded rhythm in the beginning of the second. Benedek’s change was guaranteed his clear success in the second and third rounds over the Czech talent.
Another participant from The Tbilisi 2021 edition, the Czech Republic’s Martin Rusnak has strong chance to represent his nation at the EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships in Montesilvano and he proved his very best against Slovakia’s Alex Poliacik in Usti nad Labem. The Czech welterweight (66kg) boxer controlled all of the three rounds against his neighbour and won the bout by unanimous decision.
Hungary’s Szebasztian Budai was involved to the junior national team this year and he used his strength to beat several of his rivals on these challenges. Following his strong start, his combinations were lethal against Czech Republic’s Marcel Sokol and the referee stopped their welterweight (66kg) contest in the second round. Hungary’s middleweight (75kg) talent, Zalan Doka was their next boxer in action who won his bout by RSC in Usti nad Labem. Doka dominated the first round against Czech Republic’s Denis Krista and stopped his opponent in the second, same how did it Budai.
