ASBC Champions Zheksen and Zhakpekov earned gold medals at the Kostanay Coaches Memorial Tournament

The Kostanay Coaches Memorial Tournament was the next highlight in Kazakhstan’s boxing life, the competition served the preparation for the elite boxers to their National Championships. ASBC champions such as Biybars Zheksen and Yerassyl Zhakpekov were the stars of the tournament but Nurmagambet Yusupov became the lone boxer who defended his throne in Kostanay.

The number of elite male boxers was 58 in the Kostanay Coaches Memorial Tournament where the competition staged in all of the 13 male weight categories from the minimumweight (48kg) up to the super heavyweight (+92kg). Boxers who were born between 1983 and 2004 were eligible to attend in the Kostanay Coaches Tournament.

Kostanay was one of the most active boxing cities in Kazakhstan next to Astana, Atyrau, Shymkent, Almaty, Pavlodar and Aktau in the recent two years and the region developed rapidly due to their energetic leadership.

The Kostanay Coaches Tournament is an elite competition for the elite men boxers dedicated for the honoured trainers of the USSR and KazSSR. The competition remembers to Mr. Valeriy Nikulin, Mr. Vadim Gravitskiy, Mr. Mursal Tazhmakin, Mr. Vitaliy Levshin, Mr. Anton Kim and Mr. Sergey Skripnik.

A young talent, Yernar Karap won the first title in the Kostanay Coaches Memorial Tournament, he succeeded against Nurzat Ongarov at the minimumweight (48kg). The bantamweight (54kg) was a very strong category in the event in Kostanay where Timur Kabdeshov defeated the defending champion, Karim Serkebayev.

The former ASBC Asian Youth Champion Biybars Zheksen had to do his very best to win the final of the lightweight (60kg) against Chingiz Musinov. Karagandy region’s Talgat Syrymbetov represented Kazakhstan in the Men’s Elite World Boxing Championships and his experiences paid off in the final of the light welterweight (63.5kg) against Makzhan Alimov.

Dzhambul region’s Serzhan Kadyrbayev eliminated the titleholder Mukhamedali Khordin in the semi-finals and he was still fresh to beat his compatriot, Ilya Kalinin in the final of the welterweight (67kg). The Youth World Championships bronze medallist Dias Molzhigitov dominated the middleweight (75kg) in Kostanay.

The ASBC Asian Junior Champion Yerassyl Zhakpekov celebrated his 21st birthday with a gold medal at the light heavyweight (80kg) where he was slightly better than a local boxer, Artem Pchelyakov. Kostanay’s experienced Mikhail Kokhanchik won the cruiserweight (86kg) and after his success Nurmagambet Yusupov became the only boxer who defended his throne in this event.

The list of the winners at the 2023 Kostanay Coaches Memorial Tournament
48kg: Yernar Karap, Kazakhstan
51kg: Sultan Moldash, Kazakhstan
54kg: Timur Kabdeshov, Kazakhstan
57kg: Daulet Moldashev, Kazakhstan
60kg: Biybars Zheksen, Kazakhstan
63.5kg: Talgat Syrymbetov, Kazakhstan
67kg: Serzhan Kadyrbayev, Kazakhstan
71kg: Alisher Abdulalim, Kazakhstan
75kg: Dias Molzhigitov, Kazakhstan
80kg: Yerassyl Zhakpekov, Kazakhstan
86kg: Mikhail Kokhanchik, Kazakhstan
92kg: Nurmagambet Yusupov, Kazakhstan
+92kg: Ilya Medyanik, Kazakhstan

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