Ibraimov, Chagayev and Kamsing were among the winners at the record-breaking Asian Games in 1998

The 1998 edition of the boxing tournament of the Asian Games was held in Bangkok, Thailand from December 7 until the 18th. The event was the thirteenth Asian Games and the twelfths boxing tournament in the history of the multisport event. Stars of the Asian continent as Thailand’s Somluck Kamsing, Kazakhstan’s Yermakhan Ibraimov and Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chagayev were also among the winners in 1998.
The Hiroshima 1994 Asian Games was the first when the ex-Soviet Central Asian boxing powers could attend at the very first time but their boxers have done much better in the Bangkok 1998 Asian Games winning 50% of the available gold medals.
The South Koreans have done a remarkable performance their boxers won all of the 12 gold medals in the 1986 edition which is record in the history of the Asian Games. South Korea topped the medal rankings in 1962, in 1966, in 1970, in 1974, in 1978, in 1982, in 1986 and in 1990 but their position was lost in 1994 when Philippines took over them. The medals standings were won by the host Thai team in 1998 while the South Koreans were not able to get any title in Bangkok.
The first boxing tournament was held in 7 men weight classes in Manila in 1954 but from the second edition boxers could attend in 10 different categories. The Olympic Council of Asia raised the number of the weight classes up to 11 in the 1966 edition and also added a new category raising to 12 the divisions in 1982. Boxers could attend in the 1998 edition from the 48kg up to the +91kg weight categories.
Record number of seven countries claimed gold medals in 1990 and it was repeated by the strong Asian boxing powers in 1994. In the 1998 edition host Thailand claimed five gold medals, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan each three and the last twelfths title was won by the Indians in Bangkok.
Thirteen countries won medals in the Beijing 1990 Asian Games and fourteen nations were able to get at least one podium place in 1994 which was raised up to 15 in 1998. Next to the gold medallist nations South Korea, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, China, Mongolia, Japan, Jordan, DPR Korea, Philippines and Syria were also on the medal rankings.
Altogether 159 elite boxers from 27 nations attended in the Bangkok 1998 Asian Games which was a new record in the history of the competition. The participating countries at the Bangkok 1998 Asian Games were the followings: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, DPR Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, South Korea, Syria, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The first gold medal of the whole competition was achieved by Suban Pannon who dominated all of his fights at the light flyweight (48kg). His teammate Pramuansak Phosuwan was an experienced boxer who finally reached the top of the podium in the Bangkok 1998 Asian Games after beating Indonesia’s Ballo Hermensen in the final of the flyweight (51kg).
Thailand’s Somluck Kamsing dominated the featherweight (57kg) in the Hiroshima 1994 Asian Games and two years later he became Olympic Champion in Atlanta. The Thai star had a close final against Uzbekistan’s AIBA World Boxing Championships silver medallist Tulkunbay Turgunov but he was able to defend his throne in Bangkok.
Uzbekistan’s Makhammatkodir Abdullaev qualified for the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games but his best years were still coming for him after that participation. The Andizhan-based boxer won his first big title at the Bangkok 1998 Asian Games where he was too strong for Indonesia’s Wellem Papilaya in the final of the light welterweight (63.5kg).
Kazakhstan’s super strong Yermakhan Ibraimov won strong international events from 1995 therefore his gold medal at the light middleweight (71kg) was not a surprise in Bangkok. His teammate Vyacheslav Burba shocked Uzbekistan’s AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Dilshod Yarbekov in the final of the middleweight (75kg).
Following Uzbekistan’s Sergey Mihaylov’s success at the light heavyweight over South Korea’s Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games silver medallist Lee Seung Bae, his AIBA World Champion star teammate Ruslan Chagayev won the heavyweight (91kg) in Bangkok. The last gold medal was achieved by another star boxer Kazakhstan’s Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov who knocked out Iran’s Mohammad Reza Samadi in the final.

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