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Asian Olympic giants eye more titles as bell rings in Milan

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-01 10:19

ROME: Asia's contingent of Olympic boxing champions will be confident of adding world titles to their glittering collections when the World Championships get underway in Milan today.

China's Zou Shiming (light flyweight), Somjit Jongjohor of Thailand (flyweight) and Mongolia's Enkhbatyn Badar-Uugan (bantamweight) will all start among the favorites.

Zou is actually aiming for a third straight world title while Somjit and Badar-Uugan won silver medals at the last World Championships in Chicago in 2007.

Asians won five of the 11 Olympic gold medals in 2008 and another strong showing is likely.

Italian fighters will be looking to lead the challenge to Asia, particularly in light of the decline of traditional powerhouse Cuba.

The Cubans did not compete in Chicago and then stunningly failed to pick up a single gold medal at the Beijing Olympics last year.

The second most dominant country in amateur boxing, the United States, only managed a single medal - a bronze - in China while Russia, having dominated the European Championships, managed just two golds at the Olympics.

In fact, that competition had such a spread of medals that many countries will arrive in Milan with realistic hopes of coming away with a new world champion.

Leading the European charge will be the Italians, who won two gold medals in Chicago and followed that up with an Olympic title as well.

They also performed well in recent team matches, beating the US and China, drawing with Cuba and only narrowly losing to Russia. Those results can be misleading, though, as Italy has a wide gap between their better fighters and the rest.

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The top man is super-heavyweight Roberto Cammarelle, the current world and Olympic champion.

If things go to the form-book, Cammarelle, a Milan local, should come away with yet another gold medal before heading into retirement.

"This is my home and even if the worlds are tougher than the Olympics, I can only wish good luck to my opponent because for sure I will be the other finalist," he boasted.

Cammarelle's main rivals should be European champion Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria and China's Zhang Zhilei, who the Italian stopped in the Olympic final.

Italy's other main hope is Clemente Russo, the reigning heavyweight titlist and a silver medalist in Beijing.

His conqueror there, Rakhim Chakhkiev of Russia, has since joined the professional ranks, where Russo intends to follow him after this competition.

"I respect all my opponents from the best to the worst but the only person to fear is me because I'm the reigning champion," he said.