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Cuba, Uzbekistan boxers shine

Cuba and Uzbekistan each sent four team members to the quarter-finals of the World Amateur Boxing Championships with second-round victories yesterday.

Cuba, the tournament favourite, were 2-0 in the early session as Maikro Romero, the 1997 World champion light flyweight, advanced with a 10-4 decision over Ki-Suk Kim of South Korea and Juan Hernandez, the 1998 Goodwill Games gold medallist, beat Larry Mosley of the United States 10-3.

The Cubans added two more victories in the evening session. Diogenes Luna won on points over victor Puiu of Romania in a second-round light welterweight match and Jorge Gutierrez advanced to the light middleweight quarter-finals with an 8-2 victory over Malik Dziarra of Belarus.

For Uzbekistan, the surprise team of the competition, middleweight Utkirbek Haydarov, light welterweight Mahammat Bdullaev and light flyweight Dilshod Yuldashev advanced in the day session. In the evening session, Dilshod Yarbekov advanced to the light middleweight quarter-finals with a 6-3 decision over Jani Rauhala of Finland.

Russia won three of four bouts. Light flyweight Aleksan Nalbandian edged Ivan Staphovic of Lithuania 11-10, welterweight Timour Gaidalov outpointed Oleg Mashkin of the Ukraine 11-4, middleweight Euguewi Kazantsev beat 1998 Goodwill Games silver medallist and European champion bronze medallist Jean-Paul Mendy of France 15-7.

For the first time since 1995, the United States will be represented in the quarter-finals. Brian Viloria of Hawaii, the US light flyweight champion, upset Rudolf Dydi of the Slovak Republic 9-4 and Ricardo Williams jr. outpointed Victor Castro of Argentina 9-2.

UNI