Ilyubayev and Chauhan on the finals in Shymkent

In the third competition day of the ASBC Asian Junior Championships fourteen bouts were held from 46 up to 60kg weight classes. The winners of the contests advanced to the semi-finals while two lightweight hopes such as Kazakhstan’s Azat Ilyubayev and AIBA Team’s Prayag Chauhan secured their places in the gold medal bouts.

In the first contest of the third competition day in Shymkent Japan’s Yuri Kawai secured at least a bronze medal after beating Kuwait’s Abdulaziz Al-Fahad in the quarter-final of the pinweight division. The Japanese boxer’s next opponent will be Uzbekistan’s Suleyman Latipov who increased his number of international contests at the Matviychuk Junior Memorial Tournament in February. The Uzbek boxer who is still only 15, eliminated a strong favourite Tajikistan’s Mukhammadrasul Karimov in the second bout of Day3.

In the same 46kg weight class Kazakhstan’s Aleksey Yukov Junior Memorial Tournament winner Nursultan Bekbolat following his first victory in Shymkent, continued the winning path against AIBA Team’s Mohammed Wasique who is one of the youngest competitor of the ASBC Asian Junior Championships. Both boxers were born in 1998 and has got great future expectations while the winner of their world class bout will now meet Kyrgyzstan’s Anvar Nusipayev who eliminated Bhutan’s Kinga Tobgay.

Kyrgyzstan’s newly crowned Junior National Champion Fatiddin Khamroyev came from the city of Tokmak and proved his strength against Bhutan’s Ugyen Tshewang on his opening contest. The 15-year-old Kyrgyz boxer’s efforts resulted for him a medal in Shymkent and will be fighting for the gold against Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Komilov who went down a weight class before the ASBC Asian Junior Championships.

Kazakhstan’s Almaty-based Stoyan Mazur turned to 16 in February and kept his perfect balance against Mongolia’s two-time Junior National Champion Battumur Misheelt as well. Mazur has won already two contests in the ASBC Asian Junior Championships and did a further step to his main target, the gold medal. His next opponent will be Japan’s youngest participant Mikyu Watarai who eliminated Sri Lanka’s last hope in Shymkent Gonsaluwa Wasam Buddika Manaram at the 50kg weight class.

Turkmenistan’ best junior boxer in this age group is Children of Asia Games bronze medallist Muhammetmyrat Sahedov who proved his skills are enough to this level Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Ajmi and advanced to the Top 4. The Ashgabat-based bantamweight fighter put on muscles since last year’s event and will be fighting for the final against Tajikistan’s Junior National Championships silver medallist Dalerzhon Khuseinov who went up a division in the last month.

Kazakhstan’s Abylaykhan Zhussupov was more than optimistic before the start of the championships and following his performance in Shymkent he could be realized his mission. On his second appearance in the event the Karaganda-based boxer dominated his contest against China’s Zang Shuang. Zhussupov’s next rival will be Uzbekistan’s Ikboljon Kholdarov who competed with success in various international events during his career.

AIBA Team’s one of the most experienced junior boxer is Prayag Chauhan who has been boxing since 2007 and competed high number of events since then. The 16-year-old lightweight boxer trains in New Delhi which city has got a developing boxing team in India. Chauhan won his second contest in the ASBC Asian Junior Championships against Kyrgyzstan’s Ruslan Ernis Ulu and advanced to the final.

Kazakhstan’s Suleimenov Junior Tournament winner Azat Ilyubayev came from a real boxing family and demonstrated his power once again in Shymkent against Turkmenistan’s Chagrylbek Pazzyyev whose elder brothers are also boxers. The Petropavlovsk-based Ilyubayev beat his Central Asian opponent and will now meet for the gold against AIBA Team’s Prayag Chauhan.