http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/players/david_ayrapetyan/73920 Recent articles about David Ayrapetyan en-us It was the Men's semi-finals for the Light Flyweight (46-49kg), Bantamweight (56kg), Light Welterweight (64kg), Middleweight (75kg) and Heavyweight (91kg) categories in the afternoon session of the fourteenth day of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games. There was not an empty seat available at the ExCeL arena with raucous support there once again to cheer on the athletes. In the opening contest of the day, it was the first of the Light Flyweight (46-49kg) semi-finals between triple AIBA World Champion Shiming Zou of China and the charismatic Irishman Paddy Barnes. A very tactical first round saw Barnes looking to dictate from the center as he harried Shiming Zou, trying to corner him before unloading. Unfortunately, the expert counter-puncher from China connected with several exquisite shots to take the high scoring first round. The speed of the reigning Olympic Champion told in the second but a more measured approach from the Irish 25-year-old saw the round drawn on po... Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:36:59 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/mens_olympic_boxing_final_matches_set_for_light_fly_bantam_light_welter_middle_heavy/11425681 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/mens_olympic_boxing_final_matches_set_for_light_fly_bantam_light_welter_middle_heavy/11425681 Men’s Olympic boxing final matches set for Light Fly, Bantam, Light Welter, Middle & Heavy http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/mens_olympic_boxing_final_matches_set_for_light_fly_bantam_light_welter_middle_heavy/11425681 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Ireland, the Ukraine and the hosts were the big winners in the first session of Olympic men's boxing Semifinals Friday in London. Ukrainian sluggers Oleksandr Usyk and Denys Berinchyk booked their tickets in must-see gold medal bouts while John Joe Nevin continued the Irish fairytale started by Katie Taylor. Nevin will now face Britain's Luke Campbell for a gold medal in a surefire bantamweight barnburner in front of a passionate crowd. The only rub on the night was the final, strangely scored heavyweight bout between two boxers, Teymur Mammadov and Clemente Russo, who shouldn't really have been there. Ah well, you can't win 'em all, unless you're from Azerbaijan (which Mammadov's loss showed isn't even true!). (Ireland's Paddy Barnes, right, hard at work against China's Shiming Zou during a brave losing effort, photo via London 2012 Olympics website) Light Flyweight 49kg/108lb Shiming Zou (China)-Paddy Barnes (Ireland), 15-15: Paddy ... Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:54:32 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/irish_ukrainian_boxers_win_big_olympic_mens_boxing_semifinals_part_one/11424718 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/irish_ukrainian_boxers_win_big_olympic_mens_boxing_semifinals_part_one/11424718 Irish, Ukrainian Boxers Win Big: Olympic Men's Boxing Semifinals Part One http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/irish_ukrainian_boxers_win_big_olympic_mens_boxing_semifinals_part_one/11424718 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png We're in the home stretch of Olympic men's boxing, with just three days worth left beginning Friday. The medal count is complete, but it's now down to who gets which medals. There are some very, very high quality bouts in the Semis at bantamweight and lightweight, some atrocious ones at super heavyweight and some good ones scattered throughout the rest. Our man Alex McClintock will have you covered in the early session of the Semifinal blitzkrieg Friday, while I'll come back at you for the later session.(Freddie Evans, right, aims at Custio Clayton, left; photo via London 2012 Olympics website) The fights below are listed in the order they'll transpire, with all set to be streamed by NBC online. CNBC will get to it later. Light Flyweight 49kg/108lb Shiming Zou (China) vs. Paddy Barnes (Ireland): In 2008, Zou blanked Barnes in Beijing, 15-0. Barnes' team has been joking that their goal isn't gold, but just scoring a point on Zou. Things have changed... Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:18:57 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_mens_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_semifinals_preview/11421157 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_mens_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_semifinals_preview/11421157 Olympic Men's Boxing Guide And Schedule: The Semifinals Preview http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/olympic_mens_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_semifinals_preview/11421157 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Mongolia's light welterweight pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the Olympic boxing tournament Wednesday night, stunning second-seeded Tom Stalker of Britain and his home crowd with a 23-22 victory. Britain immediately protested Stalker's narrow loss to Munkh-Erdene Uranchimeg, but it was rejected. Yamaguchi Falcao of Brazil also upset top-seeded Cuban light heavyweight Julio La Cruz 18-15 in an eventful final day of quarterfinal bouts. The evening ended with Algerian light heavyweight Abdelhafid Benchabla's 19-17 loss to Ukraine's Oleksandr Gvozdyk, which left a small group of angry Algerian fans running up and down the stairs in the stands and shouting toward the ring. One fan hurled a desk lamp from the press tribune onto the arena floor. The lamp broke but didn't hit anyone, and no fans were detained by security. Algeria protested Benchabla's loss, which was affected by a last-minute holding penalty that resulted in the decisive margin of victory. But it was also rejected Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:05:47 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/stalker_la_cruz_stunned_at_olympics/11410972 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/stalker_la_cruz_stunned_at_olympics/11410972 Stalker, La Cruz stunned at Olympics http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/stalker_la_cruz_stunned_at_olympics/11410972 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Wednesday brings the last day of men's Olympic boxing when the loser goes home wearing a frowny face with no medal prize to show for his punching. The women, meanwhile, are already in the semifinals on Wednesday. Our friend Lisa Creech Bledsoe has predictions on what will go down with the ladies, so I'll focus on previewing the men below, with light flyweights, light welterweights and light heavyweights concluding the Quarterinals.(Julio la Cruz, left, eliminating Ihab Almatbouli, right)As always, you can watch online here or look for very delayed rebroadcasts, with a very unpredictable schedule despite what that links says, on CNBC. Light Flyweight 49kg/108lbZou Shiming (China) vs. Birzhan Zhakypov (Kazakhstan): Having narrowly overcome Yosbany Veitia Soto in the Round of 16, Shiming could encounter smoother sailing against Zhakypov, whose own narrow defeat of Mark Barriga has inspired the kind of hysterics in the Philippines more characteristic of what happens when som... Wed, 08 Aug 2012 00:15:40 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_quarterfinals_part_three/11402662 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_quarterfinals_part_three/11402662 Olympic Boxing Guide And Schedule: The Quarterfinals Part Three http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_quarterfinals_part_three/11402662 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The London Olympic boxing competition is moving forward with the semifinals and medal rounds on both the men's and women's side of the tournament. Before the action got underway at London, we presented a list of the betting odds for every division. Right here, you'll find an updated list with only the remaining fighters and contenders included. It's not too late to place a few bets and get in on the action for yourself. American women's Middleweight Claressa Shields is now the betting favorite to win her division! Find the complete list of odds and contenders right here. Sign up for Bovada and receive a 20% bonus and utilize all of these Olympic boxing betting odds and lines. Men's Olympic Boxing Semifinals Betting Odds Light Flyweight Zou Shiming (CHN) 2/3 David Ayrapetyan (RUS) 7/2 Aleksandar Aleksandrov (BUL) 12/1 Kaeo Pongprayoon (THA) 12/1 Patrick Barnes (IRL) 14/1 Devendro Singh (IND) 16/1 Ferhat PEhlivan (TUR) 18/1 Birzhan Zhakypov (KAZ) 20/1 Flywe... Tue, 07 Aug 2012 08:51:39 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_semifinals_betting_odds/11395747 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_semifinals_betting_odds/11395747 Olympic boxing semifinals betting odds http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/olympic_boxing_semifinals_betting_odds/11395747 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The evening session of the eighth day of competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games saw the last of the second round preliminaries for the Light Flyweight (46-49kg), Light Welterweight (64kg) and Light Heavyweight (81kg) categories take place once again at a packed ExCeL Arena. The first Light Flyweight (46-49kg) bout between Russian third seed David Ayrapetyan and the talented Jantony Ortiz Marcano of Puerto Rico proved a fantastic contest, with both evenly matched in the first round. 18-year-old southpaw Ortiz Marcano was making his height advantage count in the early exchanges with the 2008 Beijing Olympian Russian Team Captain having to really search for those clean shots. In the second, Ayrapetyan found his target several times, once with an overhead and once with a crisp left uppercut to go into the final round with a two point advantage. It was a thrilling finale with each boxer peppering the other with a huge number of shots, but it was the 28-year-old AIBA World Boxing C... Sun, 05 Aug 2012 00:37:24 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/thomas_stalker_highlights_olympic_boxing_results_from_day_8_afternoon_session/11379520 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/thomas_stalker_highlights_olympic_boxing_results_from_day_8_afternoon_session/11379520 Thomas Stalker highlights Olympic boxing results from Day 8 afternoon session http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/thomas_stalker_highlights_olympic_boxing_results_from_day_8_afternoon_session/11379520 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Alex McClintock hands me the final leg of the Round of 16, Australian rule football style. Three weight classes wrap up this round, with two of them featuring gold medal-worthy match-ups. It's like in the NBA, when one conference is so much better than the other that the (for example) Western Conference champion is strongly viewed as the overall league champion in waiting. There are only so many pictures of roving unofficial preview mascot Errol Spence, Jr. to run, so here's Errol Flynn instead. All of this action takes place Saturday. Good news for those in the United States who are frustrated with the delayed/unreliable NBC website stream, too -- both sessions will be simulcast on CNBC. Light Flyweight 49kg/108lb Reigning 2008 gold medalist Zou Shiming got a bye in the Round of 32, which in most tournament sports would still likely mean a relatively easy match-up in the second round. Nope. Instead, he gets fellow gold medal contender Yosbany Veitia Soto, who is coming of... Sat, 04 Aug 2012 04:12:36 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_mens_round_of_16_part_three/11373820 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_mens_round_of_16_part_three/11373820 Olympic Boxing Guide And Schedule: The Men’s Round Of 16 Part Three http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_mens_round_of_16_part_three/11373820 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Manoj Kumar into next round after win Boxing continued with the evening session at the ExCeL arena on day four of the London 2012 Olympic Games as the remaining eleven Men's Light Fly (46-49kg) and Light Welterweight (64kg) bouts went ahead. The capacity crowd was once again treated to a pugilistic feast. First up in the Light Flyweights (46-49kg) was the fledgling star from Puerto Rico Jantony Ortiz Marcano versus the 19-year-old Ghanaian Tetteh Sulemanu. These two put on a good show with Ortiz Marcano, who won the AIBA American Olympic Qualifying Event Rio de Janeiro 2012, setting the early tempo and scoring a lot of points with some well placed shots. The young orthodox Puerto Rican confirmed his growing reputation with a performance full of verve to notch up a 20:6 win. He will now test himself against one of the best in the business, David Ayrapetyan from Russia. The 18-year-old Ortiz Marcano was all smiles after the bout, declaring, "It was absolutely amazing. The w... Tue, 31 Jul 2012 22:20:55 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_day_4_afternoon_results/11346748 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_day_4_afternoon_results/11346748 Olympic boxing day 4 afternoon results http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/olympic_boxing_day_4_afternoon_results/11346748 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png (Team USA bantamweight Joseph Diaz, Jr., left, in action) With the draw completed on Friday, the stage is set for Olympic boxing to begin in London. In our first preview and guide we’ll take a look at the first round of the men’s competition, beginning on Saturday afternoon, London time. It all starts out with a bantamweight match-up between Team USA’s Joseph Diaz, Jr. and Ukraine’s Pavlo Ishchenko. After that there are a dizzying number of matches, so we’ll just give you the highlights and other notes.There haven’t been too many complaints about the draw compared to previous Olympics, though it’s always hard in smaller divisions like heavy, super heavy and the three women’s brackets. Some top fighters, like Brazilian junior welterweight Everton Dos Santos Lopes, will have very tough fights in the round of 16, but that’s just the way it is I guess. If only the top seeds fought then we’d be watching “the round of four” this weekend, and that wouldn’t be any fun. The Queensberry Rules, Sat, 28 Jul 2012 06:04:20 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318446 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318446 Olympic Boxing Guide and Schedule: The Draw And The Men’s Round Of 32 http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/olympic_boxing_guide_and_schedule_the_draw_and_the_mens_round_of_32/11318446 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Boxers to look out for at the London 2012 Olympic Games With just a few days to go until the biggest show on Earth gets underway in the British capital, we look at the men and women in each of the weight categories. Throughout history, the Olympic Games has brought the best of the best of our sport to the wider public, showcasing boxing in all its glory. This year, with women's boxing making its debut, the spectacle will be even more phenomenal. We will be here to give you continued and in-depth coverage of all things boxing in the build-up and when the competition begins on July 28 at the ExCeL London. ---> Be sure to check out our complete London 2012 Olympic Boxing Guide Men Light Flyweight (46-49kg) 2008 Olympic Title holder: Zou Shiming (CHN) 2011 AIBA World Champion: Zou Shiming (CHN) Since bursting onto the scene as a precocious talent at the 2003 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Bangkok where he took a sensational silver medal as a 22-year-old, Zou ... Mon, 23 Jul 2012 21:05:46 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/boxers_to_watch_for_at_the_2012_london_olympics/11282545 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/boxers_to_watch_for_at_the_2012_london_olympics/11282545 Boxers to watch for at the 2012 London Olympics http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/boxers_to_watch_for_at_the_2012_london_olympics/11282545 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Gold Medal Favorites, Rivalries and More Things to Watch For in Boxing at the 2012 London Olympics The two "small guy" divisions for men's boxing at the London 2012 Olympics are Light Flyweight, at 49 kg - 108 lbs, and Flyweight, at 52 kg - 112 lbs. These divisions are jam packed with talent, particularly at Flyweight, which may be the single deepest and most competitive division in the entire tournament. Right here, fight fans can find an overview of each division, including the medal favorites, rivalries and other things to watch for as you check out the competition. ---> Don't forget to check out our London 2012 Olympic Boxing homepage for exclusive features, previews, interviews and more in-depth coverage Light Flyweight London Olympic Boxing Overview Medal Favorites & Fighters to Watch China's Zou Shiming received some beneficial scoring on his home turf at the 2008 Olympics en route to a gold medal, but you can't dispute his 2011 World Champi... Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:39:55 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/london_olympic_boxing_light_flyweight_flyweight_division_previews/11118827 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/london_olympic_boxing_light_flyweight_flyweight_division_previews/11118827 London Olympic boxing Light Flyweight & Flyweight division previews http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/london_olympic_boxing_light_flyweight_flyweight_division_previews/11118827 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The door to the last remaining boys club in the Summer Olympics finally opens in London. Three dozen women are about to punch it into smithereens. Women's boxing is an Olympic sport for the first time, with 36 fighters in three weight classes competing to make history with its first medals. A sport long derided as a sideshow by elitists has been hotly competitive for several years, and the debut Olympic tournament is expected to bring worldwide attention and cachet to boxing, which has slipped into secondary status after decades as a main Olympic event. Boxing joined the Olympic program in St. Louis in 1904, but was the only Summer Games sport without a female analogue until 2009, when the IOC added a women's competition to the London program. Supporters had argued for the addition for several years. New worlds suddenly opened for athletes like Katie Taylor, the lightweight world champion who also plays on Ireland's national soccer team, and Queen Underwood, the five-time American champion who Wed, 20 Jun 2012 23:30:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/women_boxers_step_into_olympic_ring/11058131 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/women_boxers_step_into_olympic_ring/11058131 Women boxers step into Olympic ring http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/women_boxers_step_into_olympic_ring/11058131 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The door to the last remaining boys club in the Summer Olympics finally opens in London. Three dozen women are about to punch it into smithereens. Women's boxing is an Olympic sport for the first time, with 36 fighters in three weight classes competing to make history with its first medals. A sport long derided as a sideshow by elitists has been hotly competitive for several years, and the debut Olympic tournament is expected to bring worldwide attention and cachet to boxing, which has slipped into secondary status after decades as a main Olympic event. Boxing joined the Olympic program in St. Louis in 1904, but was the only Summer Games sport without a female analogue until 2009, when the IOC added a women's competition to the London program. Supporters had argued for the addition for several years. New worlds suddenly opened for athletes like Katie Taylor, the lightweight world champion who also plays on Ireland's national soccer team, and Queen Underwood, the five-time American champion who Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:58:10 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/women_boxers_get_long_awaited_olympic_chance/11056673 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/women_boxers_get_long_awaited_olympic_chance/11056673 Women boxers get long-awaited Olympic chance http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/women_boxers_get_long_awaited_olympic_chance/11056673 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Including its Soviet athletes, Russia traditionally sends a strong boxing squad to the Summer Olympics. The Beijing Games were no exception, with the Russian team picking up two golds and a bronze in 2008. Although none of those past medal winners are going to London this summer, Russian amateur boxing has such a deep talent pool that their Olympic squad can sport plenty of new faces and remain a formidable challenge for any comers. If the strength of the Russian team is not enough of a reason to follow the Russians at the London Games, Russia's stature in the professional ranks ought to be. Ever since Kostya Tszyu emigrated to Australia in 1992, the Russian National Boxing Team has served as a springboard for many notable fighters. Beijing's team sent Rakhim Chakhkiyev and Matvey (Matt) Korobov on to prospering careers as professionals, and London 2012 could send many more. ---> Check out all of our London 2012 Olympic Boxing Coverage The Russian Boxing Squa... Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:09:04 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/london_2012_the_russian_olympic_boxing_team/10639180 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/london_2012_the_russian_olympic_boxing_team/10639180 London 2012: The Russian Olympic Boxing Team http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/london_2012_the_russian_olympic_boxing_team/10639180 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png