Maamo rallies to repulse Otukile, faces Cuban next

MANILA, Philippines - Flyweight Dannel Maamo hacked out a split decision win over Mahomed Otukile of Botswana Saturday, to set up a duel with Cuban top seed Yosvany Veitia in the 17th AIBA World Championships at Sporthalle in Hamburg, Germany.

Maamo struggled in the face of Otukile’s strong start and trailed in the first round but the Filipino rallied behind his left hook and body punches in the next two rounds to prevail.

“He’s good. I’ve been hit several times,” said Maamo, who will next face Veitia on Monday.

Meanwhile, Rogen Ladon clashes with Kazakhstan’s Zhomart Yerzhan when he makes his debut Sunday.

The Kazakh fighter earned a berth in the round-of-16 after beating Michael Tello of Guatemala on a unanimous decision Saturday in the biennial slugfest that drew the participation of 243 boxers.

Full Article: http://www.philstar.com/sports/2017/08/27/1733229/maamo-rallies-repulse-otukile-faces-cuban-next