Amateurs to get prize money, $10,000 for a gold medal at the 1st Boxing World Cup

Mitchell Kane · Dec 14, 2008

Amateurs to get prize money
Published: Tuesday | December 9, 2008

Leroy Brown, Gleaner Writer
Amateur boxing history will be created this week when for the first time, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) will allow amateur boxers to receive prize money.

This ground-breaking precedent will be set at the AIBA World Cup Tournament, which will take place at the Ice Palace in Moscow, Russia, from December 10-14.

AIBA had announced last year that it was making an effort to bridge the gap between amateur and professional boxing and the plan is to have at least one major tournament each year, at which substantial prize money will be offered.

A start is being made this year at the AIBA World Cup, which will attract the eight best amateur boxers in the world, in each of the 11 weight classes.

Top finishers

These 88 boxers, drawn from the top finishers at the Olympic Games and the World Boxing Championships, will compete for money prizes of US$10,000 first prize, (gold medal), US$5,000 for second place (silver medal) and US$2,500 each for the third-place (bronze medal) finishers.

In the world of professional boxing where purses run into millions for world-championship fights, this prize money seems to be small. But when one takes into consideration that the bouts are being fought over four rounds of two minutes each, which equates with a preliminary fight on a professional card, these boxers will have nothing to complain about.

One also has to remember that in the world of track and field, when prize money was first paid the amount was much smaller then and a US$10,000 prize is still regarded as good purse money for some of their events.

As is to be expected, the world-ranked Russians with 10 boxers and the Cubans with eight, top the list of participants.

There is a very good mix, nevertheless, with countries such as China, India and Uzbekistan having four participants each. Uzbekistan's world champion, Abbos Atoev, is one of the favourites for the heavyweight title and no one would be surprised if he meets Russia's Artur Beterbiev in the final once more.

Lower-weight classes

In the lower-weight classes, Vasyl Lomachenko, who won the gold medal and the Val Barker Trophy as the outstanding boxer in the last Olympics, in the 57kg weight class, is one of the early front runners, but is expected to be challenged by boxers from Uzbekistan and Cuba.

The English-speaking Caribbean has only one boxer in this tournament. He is Toureano Johnson from The Bahamas, who is rated No. 6 in the world in the welterweight class. He participated in the Beijing Olympics and fell one short of the semi-finals and at least a bronze medal. He is contemplating a professional career and his performance in Moscow will go a far way to helping him make that critical decision.

Other Caribbean territories with one entry each are Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It is interesting to note that the United States, which had a very bad Olympic experience in boxing this year, also have only one entry in the World Cup, Michael Hunter, in the super heavyweight division.

After the tournament, AIBA will name its most outstanding boxers for 2008.
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$10,000 for a gold medal at the 1st Boxing World Cup

By FRED STURRUP,NG Associate Editor,frederick@nasguard.com

Taureano Johnson is in Moscow along with national coach Andre Seymour and his eye is on the $10,000 top welterweight (69 kilogram) purse and the gold medal.

It's the Association of International Amateur Boxing (AIBA) 1st World Cup. The prestigious event marks the very first time that amateur boxers will be able to participate for money. It's a major breakthrough for the sport of boxing and puts it right there in the mainstream of the 'mega' athletic disciplines. At $20,000 per category, the 88 boxers in the 11 divisions will battle for $220,000. That's huge for amateur boxing and gives the sport a new dimension.

Although the next World Cup of Boxing is not scheduled until 2010 in Colorado, United States, the spill-over from World Cup Moscow 2008 is expected to be a

number of sub-tournaments throughout the world, offering purses to the amateurs. Accordingly, top amateur boxers will be able to do rather well each year. As expressed in this space recently, the fact that the boxers will have no expenses whatsoever, makes the new development particularly attractive.

It's very likely now that fewer top boxers will be in a rush to turn professional.

As for Johnson, all he has to do is advance past his first fight on Wednesday night and he is guaranteed $2,500 and a bronze medal. If he wins his semi-final bout he gets to box for the grand prize and a defeat will still net him $5,000.

This is truly an exciting time for boxing on the whole. More and more around the world, pro entities are working with the amateur organizations and the single purpose is to further boost the sport.

More than $1 million will be spent on the tournament. All of the 88 boxers and their trainers have been flown into Moscow by the organizers and all costs in the host city will be handled. This is really a big step amateur boxing is taking and it speaks to the worldwide popularity of the sport.

Coach Seymour said on Monday, "we are feeling good."

"Taureano is ready. The draw is tomorrow (Tuesday, December 8) and the weigh-in is the morning of Wednesday (December 9). Taureano will fight that evening. He's ready. He wins his first match and that's $2,500 and at least a bronze. This is a big opportunity for him and Bahamian boxing. Just to qualify for this event is a big thing. These are the world's big boys," said Seymour.

Indeed, Taureano Johnson is now among the "best of the best." Best wishes to him and congratulations to his mentors in the Amateur Boxing Federation of The Bahamas.
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Joe King · Dec 14, 2008

I like this precedent:bears:

Mitchell Kane · Dec 14, 2008

Joe King said: ↑

I like this precedent:bears:
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It should good for amateur boxing...not sure what it's impact for professional boxing will be.

Chances are it could vary.

Joe King · Dec 14, 2008

Mitchell Kane said: ↑

It should good for amateur boxing...not sure what it's impact for professional boxing will be.

Chances are it could vary.
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The prize money is small enough to keep some fighters around that would have left the sport completely, but not enough to keep the better amateurs from the pro ranks. I think up to 50K should be the maximum prize range.

Haymaker · Dec 14, 2008

Good, but how they get the money?

Joe King · Dec 14, 2008

Haymaker said: ↑

Good, but how they get the money?
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A check?

Haymaker · Dec 14, 2008

Joe King said: ↑

A check?
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Oh, I thought they got paid with peanuts...

What I meant is, how the AIBA is getting a million to spend on this? And how they plan on getting that money back? amateur boxing isn't exactly a hot selling sport...

ArturoGatti · Dec 14, 2008

oxymoron.

Mitchell Kane · Dec 14, 2008

AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 - Day 5 Finals 14.12.2008
1st AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 Official Tournament Page

Cuba claim six gold, Russia three as the 1st AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 drew to a close in the Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow, Russia on Sunday. With prize money of $10,000 up for grabs for each champion, and $5,000 for each runner-up it was a healthy pay-day for one of boxing's proudest nations.

Cuba's brilliant performance at this AIBA end-of-year event saw the central American country total eight medals with six gold and two silvers from its eight boxers making for a total prize money pool of $70,000. Russia finished second on the medal tally with three gold, a silver and five bronze while Armenia and the Philippines tied for third with one gold apiece.

The inaugural AIBA World Cup which changed from its former team's event format to an invitation based individual competition brought the curtain down on an exhilarating year for AIBA and boxing which featured Olympic qualifying tournaments, the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the Youth World Championships and Women's World Championships in an action packed year.

Cuba will now hold it's head high following an excellent performance in Moscow, during a week which also featured the inaugural AIBA Annual Awards and Forum, where Cuban coach Pedro Roque Otano claimed the Best Coach of the Year Award.

Here is a run down of the AIBA World Cup Moscow 2008 finals by weight category

48kg
Harry Tanamor, 31, added a World Cup title to his illustrious career after proving too clinical for the Cuban and Pan American champion Yampier Hernandez winning 15:7. Tanamor, a 2003 World Championship bronze medallist and 2008 President's Cup winner stunned Hernandez, the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist, with superior speed and execution.

"I am elated to have won this title, it means a lot to me," Tanamor said. "I think I may have caught Cuba on a bad day but I also had to perform well. This is a proud moment for me and I'm now looking forward to going back home to be welcomed by my fans, friends and family to celebrate this victory."

51kg
At 20-year's-old Russia's Misha Aloyan boxed beyond his years to complete an epic journey on his way to his second title of the year. The Czech Grand Prix winner produced an incredible performance to beat Cuban second seed and Olympic Games silver medallist Hernendez Laffita 20:6 in a repeat of the Czech tournament which he won 20:11. It completed an astonishing run which saw Aloyan beat the top seed Vincenzo Picardi (ITA) in the semifinals and concede a total of only 11 points in three bouts.

"It was my second bout against this opponent, so I knew what I had to do," Aloyan said. "I prepared myself psychologically before the bout, so upon entering the ring I was already mentally prepared to win. I decided that I have to win and I did! During the bout I tried to pre-empt, to be faster than him."

54kg
Second-seed Yankiel Leon Alarcon from Cuba lived up to his billing as the favourite in the final by completely outclassing Moldova's Veaceslav Gojan in the final. The match up saw the 2008 Olympic Games silver medallist versus the bronze medallist and Leon Alarcon, 26, proved the pundits right with an awesome display of finesse, conceding only one point in the opening round against 25-year-old Gojan, who had earlier knocked the 2007 world champion and top seed Sergey Vodopyanov out of the competition in the semifinals.

"Everything was fine, I am extremely satisfied with the result," the Cuban national champ said. "What helped me to win is all my hard training and, of course, my trainer. I am very grateful to him. The bout was difficult and exhausting because I had to take on an Olympian who won bantamweight bronze at the Beijing Games but I managed to do the job I had set out to do."

57kg
With both top seeds out of the tournament in the first round, the 57kg division was the only class not to include at least one seed in the final. The second Cuba v Russia bout of the day saw Pan American champion Idel Torriente outlast Russia's national champ Sergey Ignatyev 12:8 with a storming last round which the 22-year-old claimed 4:1.

"This victory is very important for me, it was my dream," Torriente said. "The support of my coach and my team helped me a lot. Now I can concentrate on an exciting 2009 which includes the world championships in Milan."

60kg
One of the closest bouts of the day saw 2007 57kg world champion Albert Selimov of Russia put on a devastating display of power to claim a 12:10 win over top seed Hu Qing of China. Down 9:8 at the end of round three, Selimov overcame a distinct reach disadvantage before warming to the home support, charging home 4:1 in the final round to claim Russia's second gold of the tournament.

"The main difficulty was the fact that my opponent is taller than me and kept me at a distance," 23-year-old Selimov said. "But I was prepared for it, so I trained with taller boxers before the World Cup and everything worked out well. Our coach Alexander Lebzyak took us off the team which competed at the European Championships in Liverpool so that we could rest and prepare for the World Cup here in Moscow, which was very important for us."

64kg
Cuba's third gold of the day came when second seed Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo, the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist, completely outclassed Mongolia's MunkhErdene Uranchimeg 16:2. Uranchimeg, who had beaten top seed Alexis Vastine (FRA) in the semis, was no match for the Cuban national champ only scoring a point in the second and final rounds.

67kg
Another gold went Cuba's way when top seed Carlos Banteaux Suarez outclassed 2008 President's Cup champion Dilshod Mahmudov (UZB) 15:4. Banteaux Suarez, the Olympic silver medallist, was ahead 15:4 after the third round before shutting up shop in the last.

"This bout was easier than I expected," the 23-year-old said. "It was interesting to face Mahmudov as he is a tough opponent but I'm very proud of my victory, it's a great honour for me."

75kg
The bout of the day saw Armenia's Andranik Hakobyan sneak home against top seed Alfonso Blanco from Venezuela 10:9. The bout went point for point with the scores at 2:2 after the first, 5:4 after the second, 7:7 after the third before Hakobyan claimed the decisive fourth. The win capped a remarkable tournament for 27-year-old Hakobyan who won his first tournament since 2006 and first AIBA competition in his career.

"I am very happy. I had a very strong opponent, who was a World Championships finalist in Chicago but I was fully prepared for the bout and I knew I was going to win," Hakobyan, whose last tournament success was the Grand Prix Usti nad Labem in 2006. "I would like to thank my coaches for their help and support and of course I would like to thank the audience for their kind support."

81kg
Russia's third and final gold medal came in the only final which featured the two top seeds with the mightily impressive Artur Beterbiev gaining his second successive win over world champion Abbos Atoev (UZB) in 2008. In a repeat of the AIBA World Championships Chicago 2007 final, which Atoev won 20:17, second seed Beterbiev was pumped up from the opening bell, riding on the huge support of the local fans to charge to an 8:2 lead thanks to an 8:0 run in the second round. The 23-year-old increased his lead to 15:3 after the third before closing out the memorable win for his third title of 2008, which also included victory at the Gee Tournament, where he beat Atoev in the fourth round.

"It was not the first time that I faced my opponent so I was fully prepared for the bout in advance," Beterbiev said. "I entered the ring determined to win but I was careful in the first round, trying to figure out my rival (Atoev led 2:0), and then I increased the tempo. I would not like to compare myself to a lion in the jungle but if you are strong, let the others fear.
"I dedicate my victory to Russia and to the Russian people. Everything was great, since I performed at home, in front of the home crowd. The Russian Boxing Federation supports us a lot, both mentally and financially."

Alexander Lebzyak (head coach of team Russia): "I'm satisfied with the results. We were able to end it with an impressive full stop. We counted on four gold medals but we have a new team, which is not 'polished' and 'beaten up' yet. Overall I am content with the Russian boxers performances. The Cuban team of course is very strong, besides they participated in the Olympic Games but I think we did well too, even though it could have been better. But the most important thing is the fact that we have good guys, who only need some fine tuning, but they are something we can work with."

Meanwhile, Cuba won the last of their two gold medals in the 91kg and +91kg with Osmai Acosta Duarte and Robert Alfonso Acea claiming the titles respectively courtesy of walkovers after the Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk (91kg) and Croatia's Marko Tomasovic (+91kg) were ruled out with an injured shoulder and jaw.
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mikE · Dec 15, 2008

Joe King said: ↑

The prize money is small enough to keep some fighters around that would have left the sport completely, but not enough to keep the better amateurs from the pro ranks. I think up to 50K should be the maximum prize range.
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agree

Mitchell Kane · Dec 20, 2008

Courted by many but Egan stays amateur
JOHNNY WATTERSON

Sat, Dec 20, 2008

BOXING:COURTED IN Las Vegas and New York over the last four months by heavy-hitting promoters Shelly Finkle and Lou DiBella, Ireland's Olympic silver medallist Ken Egan (26) has finally settled on a package that will keep him in amateur boxing for the next four years.

Despite being offered "big six-figure sums" to turn professional, Egan's agreement with the Irish Sports Council combined with assurances from high performance director Gary Keegan and coach Billy Walsh that a programme will be built around him, has finally put an end to what was becoming a saga.

Irish boxing hopes are that Egan can now become the first boxer in the history of the state to win medals at different Olympic Games. There was little mention of London 2012 yesterday but the desire to win a gold medal was pivotal to the decision of the light heavyweight.

"It would have been DiBella if anyone," said Egan, who was seen sitting ringside with the American promoter at Joe Calzaghe's fight with Roy Jones Jnr last month in Madison Square Garden. "But it didn't seem right. I just didn't want to make a mistake. I had been under stress for the last four months, getting snappy at home. But my gut instinct and my heart told me to stay amateur. This is about Ken Egan.

"The professional game is great, the bright lights, all the money but it's just not me. November was the first time I laughed and joked in four months because I had finally made up my mind."

Until his Olympic team-mate Darren Sutherland launched his professional career this week in Dublin, Egan had been the most talked about boxer since the Olympics ended with occasional lurid stories of his post medal-winning life appearing as much on the front pages as the back pages of newspapers.

Dismissed by the boxer as "nonsense", Egan's focus now is to get back training with an eye on the less glamorous Irish senior championships in February, where he hopes to become the first Irish boxer to win nine senior championships in succession.

"This has been a real endorsement of the ISC and the high performance unit. We didn't only keep Ken now but we also kept him in 2004," said Keegan. "I remember four years ago speaking to Andy Lee. He speaks highly of us. We've got to keep our guys amateur and now we've got to build a programme around him (Ken). He is Ken Egan, the Olympic silver medallist." Egan will receive a package that is in excess of what was offered to Lee four years ago before he decided to team up with Emanuel Steward in Detroit's Kronk Gym and train as a professional. That package was worth â‚¬40,000 with win bonuses attached.

Egan will also receive the maximum core grant of â‚¬40,000, a further â‚¬10,000 for winning silver, an ambassador's role within amateur boxing as well as a career and education investment worth around â‚¬20,000 that will probably see him remain in the sport as a coach.

Furthermore, Egan will exploit commercial activities, which should earn him at least another â‚¬30,000 plus, which would bring his package to over the â‚¬100,000 mark each year.

His decision not to turn professional also shows the notion that the amateur code is worth nothing has become increasingly dated and inaccurate.

Egan's amateur package over four years is likely to be worth more than the professional offer from DiBella over the same period.

The International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) has also begun to offer prize-money at its events. At the IABA World Cup, held this year in Moscow, there was â‚¬7,000 on offer for gold medallists and â‚¬3,607 for each runner-up. Cuba's great amateur boxing regime earned itself â‚¬50,000 for six gold and two silver medals. Just like athletics was some years ago, the lines separating amateur and professional are becoming increasingly blurred.

"It's about setting your self targets," said Egan, who will be 27 in January. "I have got to an Olympic final. Hopefully I can go to the next Olympics in London in 2012 and get a medal there and become the first man to get a medal in two Olympics. I mean I went to the States twice and I spoke to the promoters. The first place was LA. I didn't like it. I went to New York. A nice place but lots of people saying do this, do that. I nearly signed on the dotted line but I didn't. It would have been the biggest mistake of my life.

"They were telling me where I was going to live. I didn't like that. I'd a lot of people around me speaking through their rear end. The only two people in boxing I trust are sitting here beside me (Keegan and Walsh)."

Of the five-man Olympic team of 2008, Sutherland is the only one to have turned professional. Captain Egan, John Joe Joyce, John Joe Nevin and Paddy Barnes remain in harness

"It's a great day for the IABA," said Walsh.

"It's great that we can cater for these guys' needs."

Age:26

Division: Light heavyweight

Nickname: "The Bruiser"

Height: 6ft 2ins

Stance:Southpaw

Birth place:Clondalkin, Dublin

Medals:Silver, Olympic Games 2008; bronze, European Championships Plovdiv 2006.

Â© 2008 The Irish Times
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