The IBA Men’s Boxing World Championships recently concluded in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Australia sent a team of nine boxers, none of which had previously competed at a World Championships. Despite being relatively inexperienced against quality international opposition, the team put in an impressive collective performance. Comments on each boxer can be found below:
54kg – Emmanuel Shemeza
Rd of 32 split decision loss vs Kyrgyzstan 3rd seed. Emmanuel had an impressive opening round and proved himself to be a genuine winning chance as he attempted an upset against the 3rd seed. Unfortunately his opponent lifted in the 2nd & 3rd Rds to win by split decision. A gutsy, promising performance from Emmanuel who only had his first international bout in February.
57kg – Charlie Senior
Charlie dominated his opponent to secure a Rd of 32 unanimous points win vs Taipei. Coming up against the 6th seed and eventual gold medalist in the Rd of 16, Charlie was not outclassed against the home country boxer who went on to win by unanimous decision. A solid performance against someone with a very strong pedigree (2022 World silver medallist, 2022 Asian Champion, 2018 Youth Olympic and Youth World Champion) is reason for excitement as Charlie looks to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics in this weight class.
63.5kg – Max McChlery
Rd of 64 unanimous decision loss vs Mongolian 7th seed and eventual silver medalist. Max has had a big start to 2023, winning bronze at his second international tournament in February (Strandja Tournament – Bulgaria) and showing a lot of promise in his hard fought Rd of 64 loss to a very strong, experienced opponent at Worlds.
71kg – Shannan Davey
Shannan lost his Rd of 64 by split decision vs Cuba. This was a very impressive performance for Shannan at his stage of development, landing an 8-count against the leading male nation athlete in the 3rd Rd. Another promising result from a man who only began competing internationally in 2023.
75kg – Callum Peters
Callum started his campaign with two unanimous wins, in his Rd of 32 vs Moldova and impressively against the Iranian 5th seed, Asian Championships medalist in the Rd of 16. An incredibly tight quarterfinal saw Callum lose by split decision (bout review) to a tough Brazilian and eventual silver medalist. Callum displayed a range of different ways of competing against his opposition, while still being able to use his strengths to his advantage in each bout. So very close to being a World Championship medalist, however Callum’s performance leaves us excited with what’s ahead.
80kg – Kirra Ruston
Kirra started his campaign with an impressive Rd of 32 unanimous win vs the 2022 European Champion from Serbia. His ability to dominate the card against an accomplished boxer was one of the highlights of the tournament. Kirra lost his Rd of 16 by unanimous decision to the 2022 World silver medalist from Belarus, losing the opening two rounds but showing great determination seeking a stoppage right until the final bell.
86kg – Billy McAllister
Billy opened the account for Team Australia with his Rd of 32 unanimous win vs India. Coming up against the top seed from Azerbaijan in the Rd of 16, Billy fought hard against a world class opponent, unfortunately losing by unanimous decision. A lot to like from the 2022 Commonwealth Games representative.
92kg – Ikenna Enyi
Strong unanimous points win vs Guinea in the Rd of 32. Ikenna fought the top seed from Cuba (2016 & 2020 Olympic Champion) in his Rd of 16 and deserved to win the opening round. The Cuban showed his class in the 2nd and 3rd round but overall this was an impressive campaign from Ikenna, dominating his first bout and not at all outclassed against elite talent.
+92kg – Teremoana Teremoana
Teremoana won his Rd of 32 by unanimous decision against a tricky French boxer. His Rd of 16 opponent was the top seed from the home country, a current Olympic Champion who has rarely lost over the past six years. Teremoana was very competitive in the opening round but found himself down on points, seeing him change to more aggressive approach in the 2nd round. This led to a contentious stoppage, although his opponent really started to show why he’s one of the best amateur boxers in the World, going on to win gold days later. Despite the unfortunate early stoppage, Teremoana showed lots of potential as he looks to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
