Aboelfead and Pizurica are the surprise quarter-final winners at the Mediterranean Games

The Italians, the Egyptians, the French, the Serbians and the Spaniards amazed in the boxing tournament of the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Italy during the third session.

Altogether 118 boxers from 18 nations are attending in the Games which holds only every four years as the Olympics or the Commonwealth Games.

Albania, Algeria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Morocco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey are the 18 participating nations in Taranto.

Italy’s Martina Vassallo and Serbia’s Nikolina Dzida are young hopes at the women’s 51kg weight class but they received the right to compete at the Games. The Italian performed strongly in the first and third rounds and she won the entire contest by 4:0 split decision.

Spain’s World Championships bronze medallist Laura Fuertes had difficulties in the first round against Turkey’s Gamze Soguksu in the next top bout of the day. The Spaniard calmed down, she switched the strategy in time and Fuertes turned back their quarter-final bout at the women’s 51kg.

France’s European Games winner Amina Zidani gave birth to his son after the Paris Olympics and she returned to the events this year. The 33-year-old French moved down to the 57kg but she was too strong for Greece’s Panagiota Kouzilou and after the second count, the referee stopped their quarter-final.

Egypt’s Nabila Alaaeldin Hassan Aboelfead is a new national team member and she caused one of the main sensations in the third day of boxing. The Egyptian was able to switch to a higher tempo from the second round to beat France’s World medallist and Olympian Davina Michel at the women’s 75kg.

Italy’s Melissa Gemini progressed significantly this year and the 24-year-old boxer worked hard in all of the three rounds to beat Morocco’s Hasnae Larti, earning a guaranteed medal at the women’s 75kg.

Mohamed Hossam Aly Abdelmoneim delivered the next success for Egypt, he eliminated Turkey’s Kaan Aykutsun at the men’s 90kg. Serbia’s Marko Pizurica started the first round strongly against Italy’s Paolo Caruso and surprisingly he won the battle of the youngsters in the quarter-finals of the 90kg.

France’s Soheb Bouafia joined the international elite events eight years ago and the veteran 90kg boxer looked confident against Croatia’s Zvonimir Rebolj. Spain’s Olympics bronze medallist Emmanuel Reyes had a warm-up against North Macedonia’s Ilcho Kostovski in this heavyweight, securing a spot in the semi-finals in Taranto.

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