5,000 fans pack city square for open-air fight festival
After staging two small but successful shows in the boxing-starved market of Macedonia, promoter Halim Abazi of No Limit Boxclub gambled on a grander affair, showcasing the sport to an audience of thousands – and it paid off!
Despite facing the obstacles of government indifference, reluctant sponsors and a populace largely hampered by low incomes, Abazi nevertheless sensed a passion for the sport; that if presented properly and affordably, the crowds would come.
On the day and night of July 30, they did exactly that – all 5,000 of them, as they packed Tetovo Square to cheer on Night of the Champions – the biggest boxing event their country had ever staged.
“The mood was great,” said Abazi. “All in all, it was a successful event. The atmosphere was like that in a large football stadium. The organisers, boxers and the many spectators were enthusiastic and hope for more events like this.”
That mood was buoyed by a successful string of results for the “home” corner, and topped off by an impressive display of heavyweight artillery in the main event.
Heavyweight contender closes show with display of power
The bright sunshine of Southern Europe that had shone on the early stages of this 11-fight epic had retreated before the main event, but the thunder clouds that had descended on Tetovo were not from a change in the weather – they were signs of the shockwaves to come at the hands of heavyweight puncher Senad Gashi.
The German-based Kosovan contender was fighting in Macedonia for the first time since 2019. Back then, he was in imperious form as he delivered a one-round thrashing to Ervin Dzinic to claim the UBF European championship.
He was in a hurry again on this night, as he rained pugilistic bombs on Georgian veteran Davit Gogishvili. Even the experience of 32 previous contests could not be called on the stave off the onslaught, and Gogishvili was counted out after just 72 seconds.
Gashi, 242lb, improved his record to 23-3, with all but one of his wins coming inside the distance. Already a holder of multiple belts, he will now look to push further into the European and world rankings. And while his appearance here was brief, his impressive performance delighted the fans, who will hope to welcome him back soon.
Macedonian prospects hint at bright futures
The undercard featured a multicultural mix of locals and rising international talents, all of whom won in fine fashion to suggest Macedonia may yet emerge as a world player in pro boxing.
The hometown duo of Lulzim Bajrami and Lulzim Ismaili both extended their perfect stats to 8-0. Super-middleweight Bajrami was flawless, winning all six rounds against Radoslav Mitev, a Bulgarian veteran whose 80-bout ledger dwarfed that of the young Tetovo favourite. Meanwhile, light-middleweight Ismaili displayed the aggression and strength that already has observers buzzing, as he powered through Hungary’s Roland Hamar at 1:26 of the second round.
Also boxing out of Macedonia were two debutants and a promising novice pro. First, Jasin Ljama‘s highly anticipated pro bow resulted in a second-round stoppage success at lightweight against Samuil Dimitrov of Bulgaria, while 19-year-old light-middleweight Benjamin Imeri was taken the distance, holding off the spirited challenge of fellow first-timer Radomir Nedeljkovic from Serbia for a four-round majority decision.
Ali Azemi, meanwhile, is now 2-0 after making light of a huge experience differential against Hungary’s Achilles Szabo at super-middleweight. Szabo had stepped through the ropes on no fewer than 55 previous occasions – winning 25 times – yet was dominated and stopped in two by the confident Azemi. It was a result that compares favourably with those posted by the world-rated likes of Sam Egginton and Mark Heffron, and even improves on those of Shefat Isufi, (five rounds) and Tyron Zeuge (pts 8).
International flavour rounds of a fine night of fights
The remainder of the action featured some promising imports from around Europe and beyond – even as far afield as Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo!
This shows that while No Limit Boxclub is firmly focused on growing the sport at home, it also has international ambitions.
Germany was represented by two prospects in super-middleweight Nick Morsink and his lightweight counterpart Tom Sander.
Morsink had the tougher test on paper, against undefeated Serbian Petar Stosic, but his greater seasoning enabled him to secure a whitewash win over the six-round distance. Sander, meanwhile, was able to hold on to his own unblemished record, breezing to a stoppage win in just 99 seconds against Bosnian Branko Bekan.
Highly touted Turkish female featherweight Elif Nur Turhan was another first-round winner, overwhelming Italy’s Angela Cannizzaro to go to 2-0, while Dave Obas of Haiti took a round longer to triumph over Bosnian Ahmed Hibic in a battle of welterweight debutants. Finally, the imposing DRC light-middleweight Sumbu Nsasi pegged back a spirited effort from Serbian veteran Predrag Cvetkovic to earn a unanimous decision in a six-rounder that takes his record to 9-1 (6).
In conclusion, promoter Abazi can be satisfied with pulling off a successful show in a difficult new market. The numbers tell the story – 11 bouts, boxers from 13 countries, and an appreciative audience of some 5,000. This all came under the patronage of Tetovo’s Mayor Bilall Kasami, who supported this event and will surely be encouraged to do so again,
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