Duisenkul Shopokov Tournament is coming soon in Bishkek

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The first big men’s elite boxing event in 2017 in our Asian continent will be the 41st edition of the Duisenkul Shopokov Memorial Tournament in Kyrgyzstan soon. The annual Duisenkul Shopokov Memorial Tournament will be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan opening from January 30 which is a tradition the event starts the new year for the Asian men boxers.
Duisenkul Shopokov was the hero of the Soviet Union who died during the Great Patriotic War at the Battle of Moscow in December 1941. The tournament was named after him and the current competition will be the 41st edition in Bishkek where several strong nations have registered to take part in the Kyrgyzstan.
The host nation of the event claimed five gold medals in the 40th edition of the Duisenkul Shopokov Memorial Tournament in Bishkek one year ago. Russia secured three top positions which is their best performance in the recent editions while Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan both achieved one gold medal in Bishkek last February.
Kyrgyzstan selected almost 50 elite men boxers to take part in the 41st edition of the Duisenkul Shopokov Memorial Tournament in the front of the home crowd. Kyrgyzstan’s No.1 ASBC Asian Confederation Champion and AIBA Asian & Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event bronze medallist Azat Usenaliev could not qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games but he did not give up his dreams yet.
Kyrgyzstan’s ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships bronze medallist and AIBA World Boxing Championships quarter-finalist Ermek Sakenov moved up to the welterweight (69kg) in the recent months and claimed his next title in the last edition of their National Championships. The 29-year-old Sakenov dominated the event in his new weight class, received also the Best Boxer Trophy and ready for the new challenges in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic era.
Rio 2016 Olympian and Kyrgyzstan’s flag bearer in the Opening Ceremony of the Games Erkin Adylbek Uulu did not stop his training sessions after the August’s event and competed in several international events since that top competition. The 25-year-old light heavyweight (81kg) boxer won all of his contests by TKO in the last edition of the Kyrgyz National Boxing Championships in November and will be hoping to be crowned in the Shopokov Memorial Tournament as well.