15 days left until the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships

After the Rio 2016 Olympic Games the last big event in the current year will be the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships which will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia in November 14-27 and only 15 days left until the first competition day. More than one hundred Asian boxers are planning to take part in the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships from all regions of the continent.
The venue of the upcoming AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships will be the Sibur Arena with more 7,000 seats. Boxers who were born in 1998 and in 1999 are eligible to compete in St. Petersburg where the Asian nations can continue their successes after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.
St. Petersburg hosted also the last edition of the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships one year ago where Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan claimed gold medals and among those boxers who attended in that competition some of them will be returning to the city to compete actually in the youth age group.
The first edition of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships was held in Guadalajara, Mexico in 2008 where India’s Nanao Thokchom Singh won Asia’s lone gold medal in the competition. Kazakhstan’s biggest current boxing star Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Daniyar Yeleussinov secured silver in that event while the total number of Asian podium places was six in the Mexican city eight years ago.
Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku hosted the important next edition of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships six years ago which was a qualification event for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. India’s two-time Olympian top boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav achieved a gold medal for Asia in Baku where altogether the continent was able to get six various medals once again. Kyrgyzstan’s Islamzhan Dalibayev took bronze medal in that edition which was a top performance from the Central Asian country.
Armenia’s capital city Yerevan saw the best youth boxers of the globe in the 2012 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships four years ago which event was the first big one in the Rio 2016 Olympic era. China’s Lu Bin and Uzbekistan’s Akmalbek Kosimov delivered two titles for Asia in Yerevan where Uzbekistan’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallist Murodjon Akhmadaliev also achieved valuable silver in the final of the Light Flyweight class (49kg). The total number of Asian medals was nine in Yerevan where Philippines also took a bronze medal.
The last edition of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships was taken place in Sofia, Bulgaria in April 14-24, 2014. The championship was the lone qualification event for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games. Kazakhstan’s Shalkar Aikynbay and Ablaikhan Zhussupov and Uzbekistan’s Rio 2016 Olympic Games silver medallist Bektemir Melikuziev achieved three gold medals for Asia in Sofia. Besides to the three Asian gold medals, the continent claimed three silver and seven bronze in the Bulgarian event where Japan and South Korea also were among the medal winners. The 13 Asian medals were the record in the history of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships.
Kazakhstan hosted the 2016 edition of the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Pavlodar in May and their boxers claimed six gold medals in that continental event. Among Kazakhstan’s top youth boxers Sadreddin Akhmedov (69kg), Bek Nurmagambet (75kg) and Bekzat Nurdauletov (81kg) returned from their injuries and ready to box in the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in St. Petersburg. Aydos Arapov won five international youth tournaments in the recent one and half year therefore his expectations are also high in St. Petersburg while the 17-year-old Toltayev brothers, Samatali and Sanatali also could be new sensations in the upcoming championships.
Uzbekistan had also three medals in the last edition of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Sofia where Bektemir Melikuziev claimed gold. Uzbekistan’s top youth boxers are super talented Nurzhan Serikov (49kg), Pavlyukov Youth Memorial Tournament winner Otabek Kholmatov (52kg), Shunkor Abdurasulov (56kg), AIBA Junior World Champion Bilolbek Mirzarakhimov (60kg), ASBC Asian Youth Champion Ulugbek Sobirov (69kg) and Sanjar Tursunov (81kg) are all preparing for the St. Petersburg event.
India established its new federation and their debut in the international competitions will be the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in St. Petersburg. Their current youth boxers achieved two silver medals in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Pavlodar. Sachin Siwach Singh (49kg), Ankush Dahiya (60kg) and Ashish Kulhriya (64kg) all claimed medals in big international events.
Japan will be the host of the next Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 therefore their current youth team has been preparing for that event and the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships is an important step for their talents. Hayato Tsutsumi won the gold medal at the Flyweight class (52kg) in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships and he is a boxer who needs to be followed in St. Petersburg besides to his developing teammates such Takumi Tamura (49kg), Taiga Imanaga (56kg) and Issei Aramoto (64kg).
South Korea’s new sensation 17-year-old Lee Hee Seop claimed silver medal in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Pavlodar where he proved world class performance and planning to get a medal also in St. Petersburg. South Korea is trying to find the way back to the top of the world after their relatively unsuccessful years.
Thailand’s youth boxers are also ready to compete successfully in the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships. Sophon Klachun claimed bronze medal in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Pavlodar while Pluem Wanglaklang (56kg), Anan Thonkrathok (60kg) and Kiattisak Promchuay (69kg) are all strong favourites.
China delivered wonderful performance in the recent editions of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships and also in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Their new future hopes are not enough experienced yet but their skills and conditions could be great to get surprises in the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships. Chen Zexin (49kg), Wu Zheng (52kg) and Maimaiti Maierdan (81kg) are their best youth boxers.
Turkmenistan is a developing Central Asian nation and their current youth squad is one of their strongest ever in their history. ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships silver medallist Nuryagdy Nuryagdyyev (75kg) defeated tough Kazakh and Uzbek boxers in his career and ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships silver medallist Mukhamet Berdibayev (60kg).
Philippines has got great traditions in the lowest weight classes and their ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships bronze medallist boxers such as Carlos Paalam (49kg) and Ranjo Gil Napoles (64kg) will be there in St. Petersburg. Ronald Chavez Jr. has got also experiences from the big junior events and will be returning to the Russian city. Iran’s Hossein Moussa Khani is also a boxer who needs to be watched in St. Petersburg.
Jordan competed with several talented youth boxers in the AIBA Asian & Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event in Qian’an and in the World Olympic Qualification Event in Baku therefore some of their hopefuls could be done surprises in St. Petersburg. The best Mongolian youth boxers also attended in the Chinggis Khan Cup to acclimatize to the elite level before the start of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships.
Kyrgyzstan proved top performance with their three medals in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Pavlodar. Their Light Flyweight class (49kg) boxer Syrgak Dzhanseitov is in the Top10 in the world in his weight class while Fatkhidin Khamroyev (52kg) and Nursultan Mamataly (60kg) are also strong competitors.
Indonesia, Pakistan and Tajikistan could not compete in the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Pavlodar but each countries are planning to send athletes to St. Petersburg. Chinese Taipei’s youth team also developed well enough in the recent years and their boxers are able to beat now top opponents. Their Middleweight class (75kg) boxer Kan Chia Wei is also their No.1 in the elite level who attended also in the qualification events.
A promising boxing nation Afghanistan will be also sending a team to St. Petersburg including with ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships bronze medallist Mesawer Kakar in their line-ups. Nepal Boxing Federation hosted a national selection tournament for their youth boxers to pick their best talents to the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships.