Cuba continued its fine tradition for boxing at age group level by claiming four gold medals at the inaugural AIBA Youth World Championships at the "Unidad Deportiva López Mateos" Gymnastic Complex in Guadalajara, Mexico in November.

The AIBA Youth World Championships Guadalajara 2008 (formerly called the AIBA Junior World Championships) for boxers aged 17 and 18, saw Cuba top the medal table with four gold, a silver and a bronze medal to total six, equal with Russia however, the Europeans managed only one gold.

Frank Izla (64kg), Rey Recio (75kg), Jose Angel Larduet (81kg) and Erislandy Savon (91kg) all stood on the top step of the medal podium and were joined by two from the home nation - Oscar Rafael Valdez (57kg) and Oscar Molina (69kg).

Other youth world champions were India's Nanao Singh Thokchom (48kg), Jonathan Gonzalez (51kg) from Puerto Rico, Russia's Magomed Kurbanov (54kg), Ireland's Raymond Moylett (60kg) and Joseph Dawejko (+91kg) of the United States.

In a tournament ruled by Cuban boxers, Irishman Moylett caused the biggest upset in the 60kg division by beating Daniyar Yelelussinov (KAZ) against popular expectation.

India's Thokchom was also sensational in the final of the 48kgs' where he outclassed Russian youth champion Grigoriy Nikolaychuk 15:5.

Izla and Savon expectedly won their finals against Irishman Jamie Kavannagh and Ivan Dichko from Kazakhstan respectively while the last two bouts of the tournament finished with the same score 9:1 as Molina and Dawejko claimed the honours.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico's national senior champion Gonzalez surprised everyone by convincingly beating Cuba's Yuniel Robles 12:5 in the 51kg final while local hero Valdez left Maxim Dadashev (RUS) scoreless in the 57kg final much to the enjoyment of the boisterous 'home' fans at the Unidad Deportiva López Mateos.

The next AIBA World Youth Championships are due to be held in 2010 and will act as a qualifying event for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.