Kazakhstan vs. Uzbekistan 10-9 after the semi-finals

The ASBC Asian Junior Championships brought high quality of boxing as expected while the competition turned into the semi-final phase on Day5. The tough Central Asians dominated the next day as well only China was able to win a contest in the city of Shymkent. The final line-ups have been done and Kazakhstan can enter 10 boxers for the gold medals while their biggest rivals Uzbekistan will be able to fight with 9 athletes in the last competition day.

Uzbekistan’s Suleyman Latipov competed well in the Matviychuk Junior Memorial Tournament in Russia two months ago and now he continued the top quality performance in Shymkent where he eliminated Japan’s Yuri Kawai in the semi-final of the pinweight class. His next opponent will be Kazakhstan’s 15-year-old Nursultan Bekbolat who triumphed over one of his biggest rival in the quarter-finals, AIBA Team’s Mohammad Wasique and following that success he won another fight against Kyrgyzstan’s Anvar Nusipayev.

Turkmenistan’s new sensation 15-year-old Muhammet Berdibayev shocked the local fans after beating Kazakhstan’s youngest competitor Bauirzhan Amanzholov in the quarter-final stage of the ASBC Asian Junior Championships. Berdibayev continued the winning path and celebrated another victory over Japan’s Naoto Iwai in the semi-final which means he will be able to fight for the championships’ title on Sunday. The Dashoguz-based Berdibayev will now meet in the final with Uzbekistan’s Ulugbek Rahimov who triumphed over Kyrgyzstan’s Mukhammad Ravshanbek Ulu in the second semi-final of the light flyweight class.

Kazakhstan’s top flyweight junior boxer Yukov Memorial Tournament winner Stoyan Mazur won his third contest in the ASBC Asian Junior Championships against Japan’s youngest competitor in Shymkent Mikyu Watarai and advanced to the final of the event where he will be facing Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Komilov who stopped Kyrgyzstan’s newly crowned Junior National Champion Fatiddin Khamroyev.

Uzbekistan’s new flagbearer in the junior team Javokhirbek Karimov defeated Kazakhstan’s Stanislav Kalitskiy in the quarter-final of the event and reached the final of the championships following his victory over Japan’s Hinata Maruta. Tajikistan’s two-time Dushanbe Junior Tournament winner Bakhodur Usmonov also can fight for the gold after beating Mongolia’s Ulanbaatar-based Mendsaikhan Batbayar.

One of the most anticipated semi-final battle was held between Kazakhstan’s Children of Asia Games winner Abylaykhan Zhussupov and Uzbekistan’s tough Ikboljon Kholdarov. Both Central Asians are more than experienced in this age group and their battle was a real commitment of boxing. Finally Zhussupov could celebrate his well deserved victory and get into the final of the championships on home soil. Further two Central Asians advanced to the last four in the bantamweight class Turkmenistan’s Children of Asia Games bronze medallist Muhammetmyrat Sahedov and Tajikistan’s Dalerzhon Khuseinov. Unexpectedly the Dushanbe-based boxer was able to beat his Turkmen rival and secured a further place for Tajikistan in the finals.

Kazakhstan’s top featherweight fighter Sabyrzhan Abilov was hungry for another success in the front of the home crowd and kept his unbeaten yearly record in the semi-finals. The Kyzyl-Orda-based talented boxer was too strong for Turkmenistan’s Resul Myratdurdyyev therefore the dream final of the division realized due Uzbekistan’s Suleimenov Junior Tournament winner Muzaffar Rashidov also win his semi-final contest against AIBA Team’s experienced Vishnu Dayanand Chahal.

Kazakhstan’s further glory was made by Aleksey Yukov Junior Memorial Tournament winner Vladislav Stolbovskiy who robbed to the international level only this year but proved his skills are world class level. He was even motivated than AIBA Team’s newcomer Pardeep and joined to the group of the finalists Kazakh competitors as tenth boxer. His last opponent will be Khamza Sulaymonov who subdued Mongolia’s Elbeg Erdenebileg and became the third boxer from Tajikistan in the finals.

At the 75kg weight division Kazakhstan’s favourite Zhumakeldy Rayev and Uzbekistan’s Matviychuk Junior Tournament bronze medallist Bakhromjon Fozilov made an early final on Day5 and the Pavlodar-based Kazakh boxer was eliminated by the Uzbek hope by points. Fozilov’s final opponent will be China’s Dong Wenlong who caused a little sensation eliminating Tajikistan’s Children of Asia Games bronze medallist Abu-Bakr Mirzoaliyev in the second semi-final of the weight class.