As the World's leading boxing nation, Russia will send two titleholders and two former World Champion to the AIBA World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. This extremely strong team will give his best to secure a maximum of the ten quota places during the event.
While Russia's second squad was competing with great success in the European Men's Elite Championships in Ankara in June, the country's top team trained together with the Kyrgyz squad. Then the best Russian boxers have been preparing together with the host nation's selections in Chekhov, lead by head coach Mr. Nikolay Khromov.
Twice European Champion, Yegor Mekhontsev, became World Champion in the heavyweight class in Milan two years ago. But following this success, he moved down a division into light heavyweight. Mekhontsev can expect hard battles against Uzbekistan's Elshod Rasulov and Cuba's Julio Cesar De La Cruz in Baku.
Former light heavyweight athlete, Artur Beterbiyev, will also try to defend his throne in the heavyweight class following his move up from a division. Beterbiyev is one of the strongest boxers in the world and not many of his opponents can spend the full nine minutes with him on the ring.
Former AIBA World Champion and Beijing Olympian, Sergey Vodopyanov, will also have the chance to represent Russia in Baku. Because his former biggest rival, Ukraine's Vasyl Lomachenko, moved up into the lightweight class, the bantamweight title is vacant and Vodopyanov will everything he can to have his crown back.
Former AIBA World Champion and twice European Champion, 25-year-old Albert Selimov, lost the preliminary stage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. But he is now in a good shape and will hope to defeat World's No.1 Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine on their possible re-match.
The best "mini-man" of the team is AIBA World Championships silver medallist and former European Champion, 28-year-old Armenian-descent David Ayrapetyan, who wants to be crowned in Baku. His main opponents will be China's superstar Zou Shiming, Azerbaijan's Salman Alizada and Kazakhstan's Birzhan Zhakipov.
Another huge chance for Russia comes from AIBA World Championships bronze medallist and Moscow's European Champion, 23-year-old Misha Aloyan. He already has enough international experience to win the flyweight gold medal.
Although he's the oldest boxer of the team, European Championships bronze medallist, 29-year-old Aleksandr Solyannikov will compete in his first World Championships. The light welterweight boxer also has good chances to secure a place in the Top 10.
Andrey Zamkovoy, was close to win the welterweight class in the last edition of the event in Milan but only got a silver medal. Tough luck, he can now expect stronger opponents. The possible bouts against twice AIBA World Champion, Kazakh Serik Sapiyev, European Champion, Hungarian Balazs Bacskai and Beijing Olympic Games bronze medallist, French Alexis Vastine, might be Zamkovoy's most complicated exams.
European Champion Artem Chebotarev also competed in the last edition of the AIBA World Championships. But the middleweight boxer lost to Cuba's Rey Eduardo Recio in the preliminary stage in Milan. Since then, Chebotarev has increased his international experience and joined the top of his weight class.
In the super heavyweight division, even though Magomed Omarov won a gold medal at the European Championships after beating Italy's Roberto Cammarelle, it is another European Champion, Sergey Kuzmin, who will take part in this AIBA World Championships in Baku.
Copyright © 2010 AIBA http://www.aiba.org