Fajardo and Kultayev knocked out their rivals in the first session of the Asian Games
The first session of the Asian Games concluded with 11 bouts in Hangzhou, China and several exciting matches were in the openers. Philippines’ teenager Mark Ashley Fajardo and Kyrgyzstan’s Askat Kultayev delivered the first knockouts of the Games.
Two experienced girls, Mongolia’s Yesugen Oyuntsetseg and Philippines’ Aira Villegas started the entire Asian Games in the first session of the competition. The 22-year-old Oyuntsetseg won the first round on the judges’ scorecards 3:2 and she moved ahead without any stoppage. Villegas had a better second round using her nice technical skills but the Mongolian had the stamina to win the final round advancing to the Round of 16 in their light flyweight (50kg) meeting.
Chinese Taipei’s two-time World Champion Huang Hsiao Wen is one of the top favourites at the women’s bantamweight (54kg) and she spent the recent months with intense training in various training camps. Huang had a dangerous first rival, Mongolia’s World Championships bronze medallist Enkhjargal Munguntsetseg who has excellent stamina in the final minutes. Huang used her longer reach to keep the safest distance and she succeeded in their meeting in Hangzhou during the first session.
An early final-level contest was held at the women’s bantamweight (54kg) where China’s defending Asian Games winner Chang Yuan and Thailand’s World Championships silver medallist star, Jutamas Jitpong met in the first preliminary round. The Chinese boxer was not enough active in the recent years but she returned to the national team and she had a game plan against the Tokyo Olympics quarter-finalist. Jitpong was effective in the exchanges as well but Chang had the stamina to win this seriously hard contest on home soil.
Vietnam’s Southeast Asian Games winner Ha Thi Linh is a 30-year-old boxer with huge international experience and she moved down to the lightweight (60kg) to show her very best in Hangzhou. The Vietnamese boxer controlled the first round against Nepal’s Sangita Sunar and she was better in all of the exchanges today. Ha Thi Linh kept the same strong level of boxing until the final gong and she advanced to the next stage of the weight class.
Chinese Taipei’s Rio 2016 Olympian Lai Chu En finally bagged a bronze medal at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman and he has a good draw in the Asian Games. The 27-year-old experienced boxer met the US-based veteran Walter Sarnoi Oupathana from Laos at the light welterweight (63.5kg) on Day1. Lai is a technician boxer with counter-punches but in this contest he proved his strength and stopped his opponent winning the bout by RSC in the first round.
Philippines’ had difficulties at the men’s light welterweight (63.5kg) in the previous years and their management replaced the experienced James Palicte to an 18-year-old talent, Mark Ashley Fajardo. The Filipino teenager competed at the 2022 Youth World Boxing Championships in La Nucia last year but he is absolutely new in the elite competitions. As all of the Filipinos, he has powerful shots which he demonstrated against Bhutan’s Dorji Wangdi and delivered the first KO of the Asian Games. Kyrgyzstan’s Askat Kultayev also knocked out his rival, Saudi Arabia’s Mousa Zubayr Al-Hawsawi in the Round of 32.
Iraq’s Ali Qasim Hamdan Al-Sarray was silver medallist at the ASBC Asian U22 Boxing Championships and he is the lone boxer from his country who attends at the Asian Games. The 20-year-old Iraqi talent surprised with his effective combinations South Korea’s veteran Lee Jong Seung in the first round and he took the advantage on the judges’ scorecards. The Iraqi light welterweight (63.5kg) boxer used his longer hands to keep the South Korean on long and he won the bout by unanimous decision.
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