Cruiserweight Yan Zak, a 25 year old with a pro record of 5-0 with 3 KOs, reached the quarterfinals with two victories in the tournament. He outpointed Portugal's Jose Antonio Dos Santos Rodriguez in the round of 32 and then beat Ecuador's Marlo Delgado Suarez. Zak suffered a cut above the left eye heading into his quarterfinal fight against Armenia's Rafayel Hovhannisyan. Zak, who had won a grueling pro fight against Abdul Ubaya on November 29 and two bruising amateur fights within the week, ran out of gas and was outboxed by Hovhannisyan.
Middleweight Miroslav Kapuler also made the quarters, but he had to win an extra bout to get there. Kapuler is 3-0 as a pro, but it has been several years since he participated in a prizefight, choosing to fight primarily as an amateur. A nasty headbutt busted up Kapuler's nose and blackened his eyes in his opening contest against Osward Talaka of the Solomon Islands. The fight was stopped in the second and Kapuler won on points.
The southpaw Kapuler faced further damage against Kenya's Edwin Owuor, mostly caused by Owuor's head. Kapuler was slick and smart in taking another victory and avoiding an injury stoppage. The 28 year old Israeli next faced Juan Gonzales, and outboxed the Colombian. He was scheduled to face Sabrizhan Akkalykov of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals, but Kapuler was unable to compete due to the continued damage he had endured throughout the tournament.
Light heavyweight Daniel Ilyushonok is a 23 year old southpaw who has yet to turn pro. A stand-up boxer, he has become one of the better amateurs in Israel in recent years, representing the country in many of the big tournaments. He comfortably outboxed Tautuarii Nena of French Polynesia in the round of 32. In the round of 16, Ilyushonok faced the far more experienced Agejev Artjom, who was able to get inside against Daniel and take the victory.
Ahmad Shtiwi, a 26 year old Israeli, made the light welterweight quarterfinals. A 9-0 pro, he won two fights before coming up short against Yertugan Zeinulinov of Kazakhstan.
The IBA has been banned from running the Olympic boxing tournament for repeated egregious corruption. A new amateur entity, World Boxing, runs a competing amateur world championships. Though many countries have defected to World Boxing, Israel currently remains a member of the IBA.
The IBA has been banned from running the Olympic boxing tournament for repeated egregious corruption. A new amateur entity, World Boxing, runs a competing amateur world championships. Though many countries have defected to World Boxing, Israel currently remains a member of the IBA.
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