Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei and Jordan are among the gold medallist nations in Marrakesh
Seven Asian boxers earned their titles at the IBA Golden Belt Series Tournament in Morocco where mostly the girls shined from Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei. Such stars as Alua Balkybekova, Zhaina Shekerbekova and Chen Nien Chin were among the winners of the strong international event.
Altogether 56 female and 128 male boxers competed for the medals at the IBA Golden Belt Series Tournament in North Africa which was less than in the 67th Bocskai Memorial Tournament in Hungary. Boxers from all of the five Confederations participated in the event where all of the 25 weight classes were in the official schedule.
Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and Yemen were sent boxers from the Asian continent to Marrakesh. Among the top boxing nations from other Confederations, Russia, Italy, Spain, Australia, Azerbaijan, France, Morocco, Ecuador, Brazil, Cuba, Mozambique, DR Congo, Serbia and Romania were there in Marrakesh.
Kazakhstan’s defending ASBC Asian Champion at the women’s minimumweight (48kg), Alua Balkybekova arrived to Marrakesh in top shape and won the smallest category in the women’s part of the tournament. The 26-year-old Kazakh controlled all of the three rounds against Chinese Taipei’s Liu Chien Ling and managed to win the first title in Morocco.
Kazakhstan’s second impressive performance in the IBA Golden Belt Series Tournament was delivered by their former two-time World Champion Nazym Kyzaibay. She found her glorious way back and triumphed over Russia’s No.1 at the light flyweight (50kg), Ekaterina Paltseva winning the final by split decision.
Kazakhstan’s ASBC Asian Champion and medallists from the recent World Boxing Championships, Zhaina Shekerbekova became her nation’s third gold medallist in Morocco after beating Italy’s Ukrainian-descent Olena Savchuk in the final. Her European opponent had excellent pedigree from the previous events but Shekerbekova’s pressure decided their final bout at the bantamweight (54kg).
Kazakhstan’s Karina Ibragimova moved down to the featherweight (57kg) in 2021 and that was the best decision of her career. The two-time World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Kazakh defeated Chinese Taipei’s star Lin Yu Ting in the semi-finals of the weight class and the 26-year-old boxer continued her winning path against Russia’s Olympian Liudmilla Vorontsova in the final.
Chinese Taipei’s World Champion and ASBC Asian Champion Chen Nien Chin promised to move down to the welterweight (66kg) last year and she made a fantastic debut in Marrakesh where she overwhelmed Brazil’s Beatriz Soares in the final. Kazakhstan’s Valentina Khalzova became the sixth Asian female gold medallist in Morocco following she defeated also a Brazilian boxer, Viviane Pereira.
One of the heroes from Jordan’s male team, the technician Zeyad Eshaish dominated his light middleweight (71kg) final against DR Congo’s Steve Kulenguluka Mbiya and bagged his nation’s lone gold medal in Marrakesh. Chinese Taipei’s ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships silver medallist Wu Shih Yi became runner-up in the tournament after her loss to Russia’s super talented teenager, Nadezhda Golubeva.
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