BoxingThe chase to become the first team in World Series of Boxing history to win a third star ended with a brilliant Final in Astana on Saturday evening, as the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan fought back to a quite brilliant win in Astana. Having taken a convincing lead, the Arlans allowed the Domadores back into the match and to the brink of victory, before another spirited comeback forced the Tie-Break, in which Flyweight Olzhas Bainiyazov earned himself hero status in Kazakhstan by delivering the crucial victory and earning his side a remarkable 6-5 victory.
Temirtas Zhussupov and Johanys Argilagos were the first boxers into the ring at Light Flyweight (49kg), and both looked focussed on getting their team off to the perfect start. Argilagos kept his guard high and solid, using that strong base to fire off some flashing rights, while Zhussupov, not wanting to overcommit, was reduced to chopping rights to test his opponent’s reflexes. Two rounds down, the Cuban came out stronger in the third, but after edging a scrappy fourth, it was the Kazakh who made it through to give the Arlans a precious lead.