Today the first bouts got underway in Paris starting after the opening ceremony with a cracking bout between host France and Portugal.
Only male athletes were in action today, with the bulk of the divisions starting tomorrow.
First up was Georges Gauthier (france) taking on Portugal’s Antonio Fario in an exciting start to the event. Georges tried his best to get France off to a good start but was piped, with Antonio taking the win on points.
He was cheered out of the ring by the French crowd, and a big hand from Sports Minister Laura Flessel.
Martynas Jasiunas (Lithuania) won on points against Kevin Mihalik in a technical bout, with both athletes working long-range shots to good advantage.
The final two bouts of the day were youth athletes aged 16 -17 years – a great opportunity for them to compete alongside their older heros. Greece’s Kostas Sirikis, fresh from the IFMA Youth Championships, was in action against Russian Vladimir Skilnov in a great bout, with Vladimir using a long teep to good effect but Kostas taking the win with solid punch combinations and some great throws.
The other youth bout saw Anton Batura (belarus) winning on points against Italy’s Luca Guerrieri.
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