Mexico big guns await visiting Azerbaijan Baku Fires
After finding themselves within one win of a guaranteed second place finish in World Series of Boxing (WSB) Group A, a full-strength Mexico Guerreros team will be seeking nothing less than victory when they host Azerbaijan Baku Fires at fortress Foro Polanco on Friday, February 22, AzerTac state news agency reported.
With classy Elias Emigio, unbeaten Marvin Cabrera and hard-hitting Isaac Munoz-Gutierrez in their ranks, the hosts have the firepower to inflict a first defeat of the season on the formidable Azeri team.
Lightning-quick Bantamweight (50-54kg) Emigdio will get the show
underway when the 21-year-old orthodox fighter faces the Fires'
tough Uzbek Orzubek Shayimov. The Mexican, who boasts a 12-2 career
WSB record, is the overwhelming favourite for this one. Technically
superior and boxing on home turf, Emigdio should have too much
about him with the classy operator already sitting top of the
individual ranking.
Mexican teenager Fernando Alvarez Diaz has impressed in his three
appearances so far in his debut campaign, notching up two wins in
the process with his only loss coming away against 2007 AIBA World
Champion Albert Selimov. The 19-year-old will have a big
opportunity of extending that record when he locks horns with Azeri
southpaw Isa Isayev at Lightweight (57-61kg). Isayev has struggled
with the pace of WSB in his two defeats.
Still undefeated this season, Cabrera goes into his Middleweight
(68-73kg) contest with experienced Belarusian Mahamed Nurudzinau
brimming with confidence. The young Mexican southpaw has won all of
his three contests this season and could move up to first in the
individual rankings with a victory here. The Fires' Nurudzinau, 32,
is vastly experienced and with a 6-2 WSB record so should not be
taken lightly. Cabrera will have a big height advantage in this one
and his speed could also play a big part.
Fast and furious puncher Munoz Gutierrez goes into his Light
Heavyweight (80-85kg) bout as favourite with his long reach and
quality shot-making skills set to make the difference against savvy
Georgian Iago Kiziria. The 20-year-old has been impressive but
faces his toughest test yet when he locks horns with Kiziria, a
brawler who has yet to taste defeat in WSB.
It promises to be a highly explosive bout at Heavyweight (91+kg)
between the Guerreros' larger than life Puerto Rican Gerardo Miguel
Bisabal Melero and up-and-coming Azeri orthodox Uzeypat Ismailov in
the final contest of the night. Sparks will fly between these big
guys. Will it go the distance? With the power these two pack, the
odds are that it will not.
This should be an extremely close match between two intelligent and
well-trained teams. Azerbaijan are already guaranteed Group A top
spot so there is more at stake for Mexico, however the Fires are
notorious for wanting to win every single fight so the fans are
sure to be treated to five contests of the highest order.