Akelbayev Tournament in Kyrgyzstan

Future hopes boxed in the Akelbayev Tournament in Kyrgyzstan

The Akelbayev Tournament was held in Kyrgyzstan where the junior, schoolboy and kid boxers could box for the medals in the city of Balykchy which is located off the coast of the Issyk-Kul. Seventeen new champions in different age groups have been crowned in the Akelbayev Tournament this year.
Kenzhebek Akelbayev is a boxing coach currently in Kyrgyzstan and the competition was named after him. He was involved to the national boxing team in 1993 at the age of 19 and competed for Kyrgyzstan until 2000. He had a great boxing career, attended in several big competitions and claimed silver medal at the 1997 Asian Boxing Championships.
Kyrgyzstan’s best junior boxers competed at the Children of Asia Games in Yakutsk with success by the time of the Akelbayev Tournament. In spite of this fact the level of this age group in the Akelbayev Tournament was great and delivered great bouts in the front of the boxing fans in Balykchy.
The first gold medal of the competition was achieved by Kyrgyzstan’s 15-year-old Arapbay Taalaybek Uulu who defeated his main rival Astashenkov Junior Tournament bronze medallist Kalys Akelbayev in the quarter-final and continued his winning path against Kumar Duisembekov in the final of the Junior Pinweight class (46 kg).
The Junior Light Bantamweight class (52 kg) saw 22 boxers in action in the competition and among them Kyrgyzstan’s Aitbek Baktybek Uulu was able to win all of his five contests in Balykchy including his great job against Aidar Oroskulov in the gold medal bout. The third gold medal among the junior boxers was acquired by Doolot Osmonaliyev who dominated all of his contests at the Junior Bantamweight class (54 kg).
The schoolboy competition of the Akelbayev Tournament was held in nine weight classes in Balykchy. Russia’s lone gold medal was delivered by Ibrakhim Atanazarov in the first final of the schoolboy age group. Record number of 32 boxers competed at the 42 kg where Aziz Sabirov of Kyrgyzstan was able to win all of his five strong bouts in Balykchy. Kyrgyzstan finally claimed eight gold medals in this age group in the Akelbayev Tournament.
Tajikistan sent a strong team to the schoolboy event after their national cup in this age group and finally achieved two bronze medals in this age group. Schoolboys National Champion Usman Mirzoyev and Akhadjan Vakhobov claimed their medals at the 34 kg and at the 36 kg weight classes in the city of Balykchy.
Under the schoolboys level the kids also could box for the medals in the Akelbayev Tournament. Boxers who were born in 2004 and in 2005 could fight for the medals in the event and showed excellent fighting spirit. Tajikistan’s Mekhrodj Zoidov and Kyrgyzstan’s Atay Nasipkulov delivered the best performance among the kid boxers.

List of the winners in the Akelbayev Tournament

Junior 46 kg: Arapbay Taalaybek Uulu, Kyrgyzstan
Junior 52 kg: Aitbek Baktybek Uulu, Kyrgyzstan
Junior 54 kg: Doolot Osmonaliyev, Kyrgyzstan
Schoolboys 34 kg: Ibrakhim Atanazarov, Russia
Schoolboys 36 kg: Erlan Yesenkulov, Kyrgyzstan
Schoolboys 42 kg: Aziz Sabirov, Kyrgyzstan
Schoolboys 44 kg: Nurbolot Zhyrgalov, Kyrgyzstan
Schoolboys 46 kg: Beknazar Toktorbek Uulu, Kyrgyzstan
Schoolboys 48 kg: Azat Marat Uulu, Kyrgyzstan
Schoolboys 50 kg: Mukhamed Anapyayev, Kyrgyzstan
Schoolboys 57 kg: Argen Nurlan Uulu, Kyrgyzstan
Schoolboys 60 kg: Bekmurza Orozaliyev, Kyrgyzstan
Kids 26 kg: Mekhrodj Zoidov, Tajikistan
Kids 28 kg: Dastan Tashbolotov, Kyrgyzstan
Kids 36 kg: Atay Nasipkulov, Kyrgyzstan
Kids 38 kg: Insan Seitmuratov, Kyrgyzstan
Kids 50 kg: Kubanych Musayev, Kyrgyzstan