#WrestleIstanbul

#WrestleIstanbul Rematch-to-Watch: Burroughs vs. Cabolov

Wednesday, February 16, 2022 - 12:46 By Eric Olanowski

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ISTANBUL, Turkey (February 16) -- The last time Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) and Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) – formerly known as Khetik TSABOLOV (RWF) -- shared the mat, there were both individual and freestyle team world titles on the line.

Cabolov and Burroughs are entered into the stacked 79kg bracket at next week’s Yasar Dogu and could potentially clash next Sunday, February 27, for Ranking Series gold.

Although the stakes in Istanbul won’t be as high as they were in the ’17 Paris world finals, the tensions are guaranteed to remain on the same level. The two have a clear respect for each other off the mat, but if that final in France was any indication as to what another match could look like, wrestling fans are in for a treat next week.

During their fiercely-contested last meeting, there were seven lead changes, six combined takedowns and a referee stoppage after the match started to resemble a heavyweight boxing fight.

Burroughs surrendered the first takedown of the match and trailed 2-0 early as his then-Russian opponent stopped a double leg from open space, scoring off an elbow pass to a single leg. Burroughs leveled the match two apiece with a counter offense freight train double leg, taking the lead on criteria a minute into the bout.

Burroughs handed the lead back to Cabolov 28 seconds later after he tried toeing the out of bounds to stop a double leg attempt, but the 2014 world champion circled the American legend to his right and grabbed a second takedown.

Trailing 4-2, Burroughs caught Cabolov on his belly after a double leg from space and transitioned from a go behind to a leg lace and led 6-4.

The Russian Wrestling Federation didn’t agree with the two-and-two, saying Cabolov’s knee never touched while Burroughs was behind and requested a challenge. They won the challenge and cut Burroughs’ lead to 4-4 heading into the closing frame.

The second period is where their hands became heavy and things got chippy between the pair of former world champs. “Now they’re in each other faces. This is turning not only into a wrestling match but a war,” said Bryan Hazard, who was on the call for the 74kg finals match.

After a stern warning from the ref, action resumed. Burroughs skated the edge of the mat and halted a Cabolov shot and extended his lead to 5-4 with a step out. But that lead was short-lived, as the gold-shoe-wearing American conceded a single leg and trailed 6-5 with 90 ticks left.

Burroughs bagged his third takedown of the bout off a lazy shot attempt from Cabolov and regained the lead, 7-6. He tacked on a fourth takedown of the bout, closing out the match with a three-point victory to claim his fourth career world title.

Both have moved a weight class up since then and are scheduled to compete at 79kg at the first Ranking Series event of the season, Yasar Dogu, on Sunday, February 27.

For news, recaps, highlights, interviews and much more from Istanbul, visit www.uww.org or follow United World Wrestling on all social media channels.

#WrestleIstanbul 79kg Entries

Francisco de Deus KADIMA (ANG) 
Gadzhimurad OMAROV (AZE) 
Saifedine ALEKMA (FRA) 
Vladimeri GAMKRELIDZE (GEO) 
Tariel GAPHRINDASHVILI (GEO) 
Gourav BALIYAN (IND) 
Ali SAVADKOUHI (IRI) 
Meiir KOSHKINBAYEV (KAZ) 
Daulet YERGESH (KAZ) 
Zhiger ZAKIROV (KAZ) 
Arsalan BUDAZHAPOV (KGZ) 
Alans AMIROVS (LAT) 
Gadzhimurad ALIKHMAEV (RWF) 
Hetik CABOLOV (SRB) 
Jakub SYKORA (SVK) 
Nuri TEMUR (TUR) 
Muhammet AKDENIZ (TUR) 
Abdullah ARSLAN (TUR) 
Vasyl MYKHAILOV (UKR) 
Zhora ABOVIAN (UKR) 
Chandler MARSTELLER (USA) 
Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) 
David MC FADDEN (USA)

#development

In Southeast Asia, boost in referee numbers

Thursday, May 25, 2023 - 05:51 By United World Wrestling Press

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (May 25) -- In a bid to improve the skills of referees in the region, an Introduction to Refereeing course was hosted by the Cambodian Wrestling Federation prior to the South East Asian Games.

The course was conducted between May 8-12 and organized by the President of Southeast Asia and Vice President of CWF Casey BARNETT.

Conducted by United World Wrestling Educator and IS Olympic referee Ashok KUMAR (IND), the course allowed referees from Southeast Asia to improve their skills prior to being evaluated at SEA Games for a potential UWW referee license.

There were 17 participants that took part in the course. This included referees from Cambodia, Indonesia, and Ukraine.

“Most of the candidates were young referees in their twenties. They were extremely enthusiastic and excited to learn about referee skills," Kumar said.

During the course, participants learned the foundations of what it takes to be a great referee. The areas covered during the course included: the safety of the athletes, evaluation of holds, referee mechanics, positioning, and controlling the bout.

The five-day course gave the participants extra practice because of the limited wrestling activities in the region.

Cambodia

Each day, they conducted theoretical sessions in the morning at the CamEd International Business School. Then in the afternoon, the participants had practical sessions at the training hall.

"The extra practice and longer course were perfect for the candidates. This was evident with the amount of improvement they showed on the final day of the course,” Kumar added.

At the conclusion of the course, the referee candidates completed the UWW Level 1 course and practical during the SEA Games. With their performance, they hope to see an increase in the number of UWW-licensed referees.

“The training course was a wonderful success with the excellent class instruction of Kumar and the amazing mentoring and supervision of Jang. The skills developed by our referees will make a long-lasting impact on the sport of wrestling in Southeast Asia by improving the standard of refereeing and competitions in the region," Barnett said.

Even the participants of the course expressed their satisfaction and hailed the course as transformative.

"Throughout the SEA Games in Cambodia, I had the opportunity to participate in Referee Training Course which was educated by an expert educator from UWW. I used to doubt and ask myself if I can make it or not. As a result [of the course], I was able to successfully achieve it,” Huy LYSIENG, a Cambodian referee, said.

Another referee added that the emphasis was put on the right areas and the course will help them perform their duty in the right manner. 

“I particularly enjoyed the structure of the course," Mykyta SHYMKO, a referee from Ukraine, said. "It managed to strike a balance between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, allowing us not only to understand the rules of wrestling but also to apply them in practice. It was also wonderful to see that you placed special emphasis on ethics and fairness in refereeing, making our sessions even more valuable.”