The AIBA World Championships Guadalajara 2008 in Mexico start on Saturday with the official draw at 11:00 followed by the first of two preliminary sessions at 14:00 and the opening ceremony. We now run through who will be the medal contenders at these world championships for 17 and 18 year olds.

48kg
Grigoriy Nikolaychuk (Russia) - 2007 Cadet World Championships bronze medallist, Russian youth champion.
Edwin Jesus Marks (Cuba) - Cuban youth champion, youngest participant in the whole competition.
Juan Carlos Santillan (Ecuador) - Panamerican Senior Championships silver medallist.
Mikola Butsenko (Ukraine) - European Cadet Champion

51kg
Aleksandr Kuznetsov (Russia) -  2007 Cadet World Championships silver medallist, Franko Blagonic Tournament gold medallist, Russian youth champion, Battle of Stalingrad Tournament winner and still undefeated in 2008.
Martin Ward (England) - 2007 Cadet World Championships and Cadet European Championships bronze medallist.
Oualid Belaouara (France) - European Junior Championship quarterfinalist, Brandenburg Youth Cup winner beating Martin Ward (16:9) in the final.
Sunil Kumar (India) - 2007 Cadet World Champion.
Ciprian Apodaresei ( Romania) - Two-times bronze medallist in European Cadet Championships and 2008 national senior champion.

54kg
Magomed Kurbanov (Russia) - Russian youth national champion, the Battle of Stalingrad Tournament and Franko Blagonic Tournament winner and unbeaten in 2008.
Lazaro Alvarez (Cuba) - 2007 Cadet World Championships silver medallist in the bantamweight. Lost to Kurbanov in the final of the Battle of Stalingrad tournament 27:18.
Furkan Memis Ulas (Turkey) Finished second in Athens European Olympic Qualification Tournament to qualify for the Olympics as the youngest boxer.

57kg
Maksim Dadashev (Russia) - National youth champion, Battle of Stalingrad Tournament and Franko Blagonic Youth Tournament winner.
Oscar Valdez (Mexico) - Mexican Senior National Champion, second in the 54kg class at the 1st Panamerican Olympic Qualification Tournament in Port of Spain. Beaten by eventual Olympic Champion Enkhbat Badar-Uugan from Mongolia (15:4) in the first preliminary round.
Luis Porozo (Ecuador) - Second at the 1st Panamerican Olympic Qualification. Porozo had two bouts in the Olympics, beating Roberto Navarro from the Dominican Republic before losing to Li Yang of China.
Yorley Vallejo (Cuba) - National youth champion and bronze medallist in the Cuban National Senior Champs.
Berik Koitayev (Kazakhstan) - Kazakhstan Youth Champion and Brandenburg Youth Tournament winner.
Elvin Aliyev (Azerbaijan) Cadet European and Cadet World Championship silver medallist.

60kg
Daniyar Yeleussinov (Kazakhstan) - 2006 Cadet World Champion in the 46kg category, won the Brandenburg Youth Tournament in September. Elder brother is two-times Kazakhstan middleweight national champion Dauren Yeleussinov.
Juan Alberto Garcia (Cuba) - Cuban national youth champion and 2007 Cadet World Championships quarterfinalist in Baku.
Jorge Maisonet (Puerto Rico) - finished second in Cheo Aponte Senior Tournament in Puerto Rico after beating Beijing Olympian Luis Porozo from Ecuador in the semifinal.
Fred Evans (Wales) - 2007 Cadet European Champ, President's Youth Cup champion in Poland
Clarence Goyeram (Sweden) - 2006 Cadet European Champs bronze medallist, won this year's Dan Pozniak Youth Tournament, and Swedish national championships

64kg
Uktamjon Rahmonov (Uzbekistan) - 2007 Cadet World Champion
Stepan Kurda (Belarus) - Cadet European Champion and 2007 World Cadet Championships bronze medallist
Roman Usikov (Russia) - Cadet European Champion and national youth champion
Zdenek Chladek (Czech) - Two times national senior champion and competed in three Olympic Qualification tournaments, including the 2007 World Senior Championships in Chicago.
Frank Isla (Cuba) - Bronze medallist at Battle of Stalingrad Youth Tournament in Volgograd, and silver medallist at 2007 Cadet World Champs.

69kg
Oscar Molina (Mexico) - Has a lot of experience in senior tournaments having represented his nation in the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
Pyotr Khamukov (Russia) - National youth champion, finished first in the Sorokin Memorial Youth Tournament, and claimed silver at the Battle of Stalingrad Tournament in his only defeat of the year (to Russian Vladimir Sidorov)
Alex Teheran (Colombia) - Just missed out on a spot at the Olympics by finishing in third place at the 2nd Panamerican Olympic Qualification Tournament in Guatemala. Silver medallist at 2007 Colombian Senior Nationals.
Botirjon Mahmudov (Uzbekistan) - 2007 Cadet World Championships quarterfinalist and winner of Donbass Youth Cup in Ukraine in April.

75kg
Dmitriy Bivol (Russia) - Team captain and rated as Russia's best youth boxer. Two-times Cadet World Champion (in 80kg last year), Cadet European Champion, Schoolboy European Champion, Russian Youth National Champion, and unbeaten in the last three years.
Rey Eduardo Recio (Cuba) - Team captain and Cadet World Champion - in 70kg. Bronze medallist in the Cuban Senior National Champs just before his 17th birthday. Has lost only one bout in the youth category - to Dmitriy Bivol, 24:15 in the Battle of Stalingrad Youth Tournament.
Nurdaulet Zharmanov (Kazakhstan) - 75kg 2006 Cadet World Champion, Kazakhstan Youth National Champion and Brandenburg Youth Cup winner. Only one defeat this year - to Dmitriy Bivol (21:12) in Volgograd.
Ulus Kaya (Turkey) - Silver and a bronze medallist in the Cadet World Champs in 2005 and in 2006 respectively. Silver medallist in last year's Turkish Senior National Champs and bronze medallist at Ahmet Cömert Senior Tournament.
Volodimir Savenko (Ukraine) - Team captain and Cadet World Champion and Cadet European Champion in the middleweight class.

81kg
José Angel Larduet (Cuba) - Silver medallist in the Battle of Stalingrad Youth Tournament, and bronze medallist at the Cuban Senior National Champs.
Enver Tuktarov (Ukraine) - Cadet European Championship silver medallist, Donbass Youth Cup and Berdichev Youth Tournament winner.
Zoran Jasarevic (Serbia) - Cadet World Championships and Cadet European Championships silver medallist. More than 50% of his bouts have finished before the end of the bout with K.O, RSC or RSCH.

91kg
Erislandy Savon (Cuba) - Nephew of legendary three-times Olympic Champion Felix Savon. Suffered only one defeat in 2008 to 2008 Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Osmay Acosta in the Cuban Senior National Champs (6:3).
Ivan Dychko (Kazakhstan) - Brandenburg Youth Cup winner.
Aleksandr Korabkov (Russia) - Youth National Champion and Cadet World Championships bronze medallist.
Serhiy Smolin (Ukraine) - Cadet World Championships silver medallist and Cadet European Championships bronze medallist

+91kg
Denizcan Gökkaya (Turkey) - Cadet European Championships silver medallist and quarterfinalist in Ahmet Cömert Senior Tournament.
Eric Brechlin (Germany) - Cadet European Championships quarterfinalist and Brandenburg Youth Cup winner in September.
Hovhannes Ohanyan (Armenia) - Donbass Youth Cup winner and bronze medallist at President's Youth Cup in Poland. Elder brother is Bagrat Ohanyan, former European Championships bronze medallist.