2011 Round-up: the Amateur Boxing World Championships

This, the sixth feature of GSN’s “2011 Round-up” articles (for the others, see below), takes us to the oil-rich capital of Azerbaijan, Baku,

the host of the 2011 AIBA (International Amateur Boxing Association) Boxing World Championships, the biennial signature event in Amateur Boxing.

Like the Milan, Italy, edition in 2009, the AIBA boxing worlds provide all of the 2.340 points GSN puts up for the Amateur Boxing Global Cup. Besides, the 2011 edition has been the first qualifying event for the London 2012 Olympics, so there was every reason for the fighting to be truly intense.

 Athletes from 32 countries competed in Baku, seven less than Milan, the Global Cup mantle going well deservedly to the Ukraine, winning four golds and one silver, improving from fifth place two years ago.

As a measure of the Ukraine’s victory comprehensiveness, they scored the same number of counts (6) as second-placed Cuba but the Ukraine points-per- count average was 50,5 compared to Cuba’s 35,5.

 

There is a strong flavour of the former Soviet Union’s heritage in boxing: five of the top ten countries in Baku were former Soviet states (Ukraine, Russia, down five places from the winning berth in 2009, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan ), plus of course Cuba.

Third place overall goes to Great Britain, well up from its 26^th spot in Milan, though there was no gold, despite three silvers and a bronze.

The other non- Soviet in the top ten were China (7^th and on the up), Italy and Brazil. Also on the up and just outside the top ten were India (11^th), the USA (12^th) and Japan (only 17^th but not even on the map in 2009).

The main decline to note is that of Germany, who slipped from 7^th to 20^th in Baku.

But boxing is very much a tale of the categories: from below 49kg up to over 91kg there are ten weight categories, each with its own ranking. Whilst the full GSN tables are at Amateur Boxing, we analysed the results to spot for weight-country inclinations.

The Ukraine and Azerbaijan were the kings of the heavies: the former clinched four (4!) golds and one silver in the seven categories over 56kg, while the hosts hit heavy in the 81-91kg category (silver) and over 91kg (gold).

On the contrary, the other four leading nations, Cuba, Great Britain, Kazakhstan and Russia spread their points across different categories, as from the table below.

On to London 2012 then, where for the first time Women Amateur Boxing will be featured in the games.

 

The “2011 Round-up” articles appeared so far are:

Road Cycling, Fencing, Gymnastics, Shooting, Basketball.