Future star Yerassyl Zhakpekov won his next title in the Kazakhstan Junior National Championships

The Kazakhstan Junior National Championships was held in the city of Ekibastuz which is located the Northeastern part of the country in the Pavlodar region. Kazakhstan’s top junior boxer ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Champion Yerassyl Zhakpekov dominated his weight class and secured his second title in this age group.
Ekibastuz is not famous of his boxing schools but Kazakhstan Boxing Federation wanted to develop the region’s sport in the future. Boxers who were born in 2002 and in 2003 were eligible to compete in the Kazakhstan Junior National Championships where the number of the young boxers was 174.
Kazakhstan topped the team rankings with their six gold medals in the last edition of the ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines. The next edition of the ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships is planning to be held this year. The Kazakh team will be taking part in the upcoming Bornemissza Youth & Junior Memorial Tournament in Hungary next month.
Abdigalym Abdukarim was born in 2003 and joined to the junior age group only in January but his performance was enough to win the first gold medal of the national event. The 14-year-old 44kg boxer was able to beat Abdulla Patiyev in the first final of the Kazakh Junior National Championships.
Schoolboys National Champion Beybarys Pernebek has got experiences in the boxing world since 2013 but he reached his career highlight when he defeated Miras Kanabek in the final of the pinweight (46kg). Yerbolat Sabyr has got excellent family connections to boxing but he delivered the biggest sensation of the whole event when he defeated ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships silver medallist Akylbek Mukhtarov in the final of the light flyweight (48kg).
The next gold medal was captured by Almaz Uzykhanov who had a slightly better last round than his opponent, Asylbek Nugumanov in the final of the flyweight (50kg). Yerassyl Tankay claimed silver medal in the 2017 edition of the Kazakh Junior National Championships at the pinweight (46kg) and arrived to Ekibastuz as a favourite. Tankay, who moved up to the light bantamweight (52kg), was enough experienced to beat Bekzat Allaniyazov in the final.
Abzal Serik was born only in 2003 and joined to the junior age group this January but his skills were enough to beat Ernur Akylbek in the final of the bantamweight (54kg). Dias Molzhigitov was also a relatively unknown boxer before the competition but he proved top performance and defeated all of his rivals including Sultan Babakhanov.
Meiyrzhan Aidar eliminated one of his main rival Yerdaulet Shinali in the semi-final of the lightweight (60kg) and used his strength to stop Turar Tileukabyl in the final. Nikita Borovikov claimed the next gold medal following his triumphs over Schoolboys National Champion Amir Bolatov and Adilzhan Zhandarbek which were hectic contests in Ekibastuz. At the welterweight (66kg) the gold medal was taken by Ilya Kiselev who eliminated strong Kuandyk Togambay in the semi-final and Nurdaulet Kazhigaliyev in the title contest.
Yerassyl Zhakpekov is Kazakhstan’s biggest junior talent who won their Junior National Championships and also the ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships last year. Yerassyl, whose elder brother is member of the Kazakh youth national team, used his strength to beat Nurdaulet Saydulla and Madi Amirov in the final stages of the light middleweight (70kg).
Karagandy’s Yevgeniy Prikhodko was gold medallist in the 2016 Kazakh Schoolboys National Championships and took bronze in the last edition among the juniors. He defeated Yerassyl Zhakpekov during his career therefore he was the top favourite of the middleweight (75kg). The 16-year-old boxer realized the previous expectations and defeated Yerzhan Baltabayev in the final of the national event.
Azamat Nabatov achieved silver medal in the 2017 Kazakh Junior National Championships and following that result he remained in the same light heavyweight (80kg), did not change his category. He had a hard semi-final against strong Artem Vostrikov and celebrated his title when he stopped Zhanbolat Yakuza. The last gold medal of the national event was taken by Atyrau’s Amanat Sabyrgali who triumphed over Kirill Abrosimov in the final of the heavyweight (+80kg).

List of the winners in the Kazakhstan Junior National Championships
44kg: Abdigalym Abdukarim, 2003
46kg: Beybarys Pernebek, 2002
48kg: Yerbolat Sabyr, 2002
50kg: Almaz Uzykhanov, 2002
52kg: Yerassyl Tankay, 2002
54kg: Abzal Serik, 2003
57kg: Dias Molzhigitov, 2002
60kg: Meiyrzhan Aidar, 2002
63kg: Nikita Borovikov, 2002
66kg: Ilya Kiselev, 2002
70kg: Yerassyl Zhakpekov, 2002
75kg: Yevgeniy Prikhodko, 2002
80kg: Azamat Nabatov, 2002
+80kg: Amanat Sabyrgali, 2002