ABS is very pleased to bring you a full report on Team Scotland’s Scott Forrest Quarter final bout from the 2012 AIBA World Championships in Armenia;
81kg Dilmurod Satybaldiiev UKR v Scott Forrest SCO
With a guaranteed medal at stake if successful in this last 81kg quarter final contest, Scott was facing the World class Ukrainian Satybaldiiev. The Ukrainian had just defeated Cuban World Number two Angelo Morejon (featured on the excellent television documentary on the Havana Boxing School), so all eyes had now turned to Satybaldiiev to take gold.
Straight from the opening bell the Ukrainian boxer adopted his trademark high tight guard, looking to draw Scott into close to mid-range where he had been finding success so far in the competition. Scott once again looked composed from the offset, staying light on the feet and focusing on the speed of punch rather than locking horns looking for power. The Scotsman found success by dictating the boxing range with good use of the jab, whipping the rear hand in around the guard of Satybaldiiev. The Ukrainian also showed how he reached the last 8, with fluent movement at the trunk to manoeuvre into space for his close range cluster punching. Nothing could really separate both boxers at the end of the first, with the judges slightly favouring the Ukrainian with a score of 6 – 5.
Scott went out into the second round looking to unsettle his opponent by varying the tempo of the bout, changing through the boxing gears of slow, medium and fast. The trick was to keep his opponent guessing, not letting him sit down on his punches. As the round progressed, Scott’s persistence started to wear down the tough Ukrainian – it started to appear that the robust Ukrainian style could come unstuck against true Scottish heart! As Satybaldiiev started to tire at the end of the round, Scott got through with a venomous rear hand lead hook combination, enough to bring the contest even at the end of the second 8 – 8.
Sometimes in boxing, fortune favours the brave, thankfully Scott Forrest has this asset in spades. Scott stood up from the stool for the third and final round; looking steely eyed knowing he was now fighting for his country. With shouts of Scotland from the rest of the team, Scott turned and faced the crowd with a look of determination that spelled out his thirst for victory. There was no doubting Scott was feeling fatigued at this stage, but took it straight to his opponent from the off. With the Ukrainian now looking to hold and slow the pace down, Scott dug deep and persevered to create the space to deliver his punches. As the round matured into the final stages, a final attack from either boxer could have been enough to seal a victory. Deservedly, with less than a minute to go, Scott pierced his opponents guard with 2 venomous lead hand punches. With the final bell ringing out, Team Scotland were seconds away from finding out if the Scotsman had accomplished what no other Scottish boxer has achieved in the World Youth’s. When the referee held up Scott’s hand, the roar from the small Team Scotland contingent sounded above the rest of the packed arena. With Scott now guaranteed a medal progressing to the last 4 in the World Championships, the Amateur Boxing family in Scotland can rightfully be proud of our countries true warrior – WELL DONE SCOTT!!!!!
Final result – 81kg Quarter Final – Scott Forrest SCO beat Dilmurod Satybaldiiev UKR 14-12
Scott now faces Aleksandre Dokvadze from Georgia in the semi-final at 19.30hrs Armenian time on Thursday 06 Decmeber 2012. Dokvadze appears a formidable opponent as can be seen from the tournament preview:
ALEXANDER DOVKADZE (GEORGIA);
Has had an excellent year and must be one of the Gold medal favourites. Defeated both of Russia’s top two boxers at this weight as well as the top Kazakhi and the current European Champion from Azerbaijan and looks a real prospect.
World Ranking 1
Major Tournaments
2010 Heydar Aliyev Cup Winner
2010 European Junior Champion
2011 European Youth Championships Quarter Finalist
2012 Dan Pozniak Youth Tournament Champion
2012 Kllitshko Youth Tournament Winner
Major Results 2012
W Dmitro Nikolayenko UKR 18-16
W Idris Shakhmanov RUS 8-5
W Ali Shabanov RUS 9-2
Everyone within the Scottish amateur boxing community wishes Scott well for his Semi-final bout tomorrow.
