Action for the event (Photo Source: Natalia Kazanova)


The EUBC European Olympic Hopes 19-22 Championships saw six home boxers triumph in the year's last major international competition. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ireland and Ukraine left Russia with one gold medal each.


European Youth Champion Koryun Soghomonyan and Ireland's National Championships silver medallist Hugh Myers battled to the very end in a riveting Light Flyweight (46-49kg) final. The experienced Armenian boxer had just about enough about him to edge it and win 11:10.


Russia's 19-year-old AIBA Youth World Championships bronze medallist and defending European Youth Champion Vasiliy Vetkin went into the Flyweight (52kg) final as the overwhelming favourite after having looked class throughout the tournament. He was once again dominant against Azerbaijan's European Champion Salman Alizada to claim a resounding 21:9 victory to celebrate his first elite-level trophy.

22-year-old Bantamweight (56kg) Vladimir Nikitin, a star of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) season two, confirmed his status as one of the rising stars of Russian boxing after dominating Armenia's AIBA European Olympic Qualifiers competitor Aram Avagyan to secure gold.

Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Elvin Isayev bounced back from his disappointment from not qualifying for the London 2012 Olympic Games by triumphing in the Lightweight (60kg) final. The 20-year-old Azeri was too good for Russian U22 National Championships silver medallist Maksim Shmyglev, beating him 17:13.

Avak Uzliyan, who defeated Cuba's Olympic Champion Roniel Iglesias at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in February, proved his skills yet again with victory in Kaliningrad. The Russian was in red-hot form and overcame the challenge of Lithuanian hardman, London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist Evaldas Petrauskas to win 13:8 and claim the Light Welterweight (64kg) title.

Russian National Championships bronze medallist Artem Zelenkovskiy was a bit of an unknown quantity coming into this tournament but proved his pedigree with a string of impressive displays. The 22-year-old Welterweight (69kg) beat Georgian ace Zaal Kvachatadze for gold.


WSB season two revelation, 21-year-old European Champion Jason Quigley defeated all before him at Middleweight (75kg) to take the title in Kaliningrad. The Irishman stylishly outclassed Germany's National Elite Champion Denis Radovan on final's day.

At Light Heavyweight (81kg), Russia's Bocskai Memorial Tournament winner Dmitriy Bivol overwhelmed Moldova's AIBA Junior World Championships bronze medallist Petru Ciobanu to put his hands on the winner's trophy.

Russian National Elite Champion and European Youth Champion Yevgeniy Tishchenko did the business against Ukraine's European Youth Championships silver medallist Gevorg Manukyan to win 22:7 to claim the Heavyweight (91kg) crown.

Ukraine's AIBA Youth World Championships bronze medallist Egor Plevako boxed out of his skin to surprise European Youth Champion Gasan Gimbatov to triumph in the Super Heavyweight (91+kg) final. The Feliks Stamm Tournament winner was delighted after securing his nation's only gold medal in Kaliningrad after winning his contest 22:21.

This tournament brought the curtain down on a fantastic year for boxing. 2013 will usher a whole new era for the sport. We cannot wait for it.