Thanks to the seedings, used for the first time at an AIBA World Championships here in Milan, more or less the best 88 amateur boxers on the planet will face each other today at Mediolanum Forum with a medal guaranteed for all the winners.

Boxing powerhouses Cuba and Russia have nine athletes each in the quarter-finals, surprise package Uzbekistan have six, there are five each from Germany and Ukraine, China have four and hosts Italy three: Vincenzo Picardi (51kg), Domenico Valentino (60kg) and Roberto Cammarelle (+91 kg).

The only remaining boxer for the traditionally strong USA is Frankie Gomez at light-welterweight, while Puerto Rico will send two fine athletes into the ring today: flyweight Arroyo McWilliams and lightweight José Pedraza.

Highlight bouts of the afternoon include the "local derby" between Belorussian and Russian super-heavyweight giants Viktar Zuyev and Denis Sergeev; Cammarelle, Italy's best hope for gold, takes on the remaining Pulev brother from Bulgaria, Kubrat, also in the +91 kg category; and the Roman Kapitonenko of Ukraine versus Erislandy Savón of Cuba contest also might turn out to be a classic.

In the evening session Ukrainian heavyweight virtuoso Oleksandr Usyk's bout with the hard puncher from Lithuania Vitalijus Subacius should be good to watch, while Scott Cardle, the unexpected success story England, will meet Cuban light-welterweight Roniel Iglesias.

One of the darlings of the Milan crowd, the young French-Canadian Mikael Zewski who surprisingly dominated his Cuban opponent in the previous round, could take one more step to the semi-finals, against Botirjon Mahmudov of Uzbekistan.