Based on the entries, a large field of 243 athletes from 19 countries will participate in the 70th Istv谩n Bocskai International Boxing Memorial Tournament starting on Tuesday, which is traditionally hosted by the Ol谩h G谩bor Street Sports Hall in Debrecen.
At the press conference in Debrecen on Monday prior to the start of the world’s second oldest boxing tournament, the deputy mayor of the county seat, Lajos Barcsa, who plays the role of host, highlighted that about a hundred Hungarian boxers will enter the ring during the five-day competition.
Andr谩s Becsky, head of the Debrecen Sports Center, emphasized that the city is an excellent host for all world competitions, including Bocskai, for which tickets can be purchased for 1,200 forints from Tuesday to Friday, while tickets for the closing day on Saturday cost 1,900 forints.
The president of the Hungarian federation, Istv谩n Kov谩cs, was also present at the event, and said that based on the entries, there will be a larger field than last year and, among others, members of the Italian, French and German national teams will also take to the ropes. All this guarantees that visitors will be able to see 鈥渇antastic matches鈥�.
The sports director, who is an Olympic and professional as well as amateur world champion as a competitor, also revealed that Bocskai is an important stage in the preparation for the main competitions of the year, and as such, there are no special goals for the Hungarian team, but he is very confident that this year鈥檚 competition will not end without a domestic gold medal. The president would like the best Hungarian boxers, Olympic fifth-place finisher Luca H谩mori, who recently returned from the United States, bronze medalist Akilov Pylyp at last year’s World Championships, or Istv谩n Szaka and Kruzit贸 Kov谩cs, to perform well, but he also added jokingly that he hopes they don’t get injured, because they will be able to fight their first professional match next Wednesday, at the Papp100 gala.
However, the return of Rich谩rd Kov谩cs, who was fifth at the Paris Games like H谩mori, will not be possible. The classic from 狈测铆谤别驳测丑谩锄补, who won the European Championship and the European Games bronze medal, has decided to end his career after a long-term shoulder injury.
The organizers of the 70th Bocskai Memorial Tournament have also embraced a charitable initiative: a pair of boxing gloves donated and signed by Istv谩n Kov谩cs will be auctioned off through the Charitable Association for the treatment of a little girl suffering from brain tumor.
At the press event on Monday, it was announced that a strategic agreement had been reached between the M脰SZ and the University of Debrecen, through which the university will equip talented boxers with knowledge ranging from nutrition to psychology.
The finals of the tournament on Saturday will be broadcast live on M4 Sport+.
