1st AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 Official Tournamernt Page

In a repeat of their Beijing Olympic Games second round encounter, Olympic champion Vasyl Lomachenko from the Ukraine will take on Uzbekistan's Bakhodirjon Sultanov in the 1st AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 57kg quarterfinals as the official draw was completed in the Kosmos hotel on Tuesday on the eve of the five-day competition which features eight boxers in each of the 11 weight categories.

The AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 official draw was conducted with two seeds per weight category. The seeds were determined by results in the 2008 Olympic Games and the AIBA World Championships Chicago 2007 and were automatically given positions one and eight in the respective draw sheets for each weight category.

Pic: AIBA President Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu during the drawing of lots for the AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008

Lomachenko, the European champion and top seed in the 57kg division, beat the AIBA President Cup's champion Sultanov 13:1 at the Olympic Games and will expecting to repeat the result when he is in action for the first time on the second day of the 1st AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008.

Meanwhile, in first-day action, Sultanov's compatriot - 81kg world champion Abbos Atoev - has drawn Croatian 27-year-old Mario Sivolija, whom the President's Cup champion and top seed beat (17:6) on his way to the AIBA World Championships Chicago 2007 title in the quarterfinals.

In the 91kg division, Olympic bronze medallist and top seed Osmai Acosta Duarte of Cuba faces a tricky encounter against former Junior world champion and AIBA President's Cup runner up Evgeniy Romanov of Russia while the Super Heavyweight class (+91kg) throws up and juicy encounter with top seed Zhang Zhilei of China, the Olympic silver medallist and AIBA World Championships Chicago 2007 bronze medallist taking on the promising Robert Alfonso Acea of Cuba.

Pic: The international media in strong attendence at the AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 press conference held just before the Official Draw 

Due to late withdrawals due to injury, three weight divisions (60kg, 64kg and 91kg) feature two Russian boxers. A total of 37 nations are represented at the competition, which features 13 Olympic Games medallists (one gold, five silver and seven bronze). 

The AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 will begin with the first session at 14:00 (local time) followed by the Opening Ceremony at 17:00 before the second session starts at 17:30.

The second day's action on the 11th will see one session of Preliminary Round action before a rest day on the 12th and the semifinals on the 13th followed by the finals on the 14th.

"We are looking forward to an excellent end of year event," AIBA President Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu said at the 1st AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 press conference. "The world's top boxers are here in Moscow and coupled with the AIBA Awards Ceremony and Forum (on December 12) the AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 will complete what has been an incredible year for AIBA."

"We are extremely proud to host AIBA and the world's best boxers here in Moscow," the head of the Moscow City Department of Physical Culture and Sport Mr. Mikhail Stepanyants said. "Moscow is a great sporting city and we have plenty of motivation to show to the world what a great spectacle Moscow can put on."

Pic: AIBA President Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu (centre) with the head of the Moscow City Department of Physical Culture and Sport Mr. Mikhail Stepanyants (on the right) and AIBA PR & Communications Manager Mr. Richard Baker during the 1st AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 press conference

The AIBA World Cup began in 1979 as an individual athlete event before changing to a team's event in 2002 before returning to an individual-athletes format again in 2008 as AIBA relaunches the AIBA World Cup.

AIBA World Cup History
1)  2008 Moscow, Russia
11)  2006 Baku, Azerbaijan - Team Competition
10)  2005 Moscow, Russia - Team Competition
9)  2002 Astana, Kazakhstan - Team Competition
8)  1998 Beijing, China
7)  1994 Bangkok, Thailand
6)  1990 Havana, Cuba/Dublin, Ireland/Bombay, India
5)  1987 Belgrade, Serbia
4)  1985 Seoul, Korea
3)  1983 Rome, Italy
2)  1981 Montreal, Canada
1)  1979 New York, United States of America