Korotkov Memorial Tournament – Asian dominancy
23 May 2013
Asian dominancy at the Korotkov Memorial Tournament
Some of the Asian top boxing nations such as Kazakhstan, India, South Korea, North Korea, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Philippines competed at the Konstantin Korotkov Memorial Tournament in Khabarovsk, Russia. The event was a good test for the continent’s boxers to test their current skills and conditions before the ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Championships.
The Kazakh national contingent took part with their best line-ups in Khabarovsk and topped the team rankings in the Russian venue securing seven out of the possible ten gold medals. The North Korean national team is not the continuous attending squad in the international boxing level but their boxers competed in the last four editions of the Korotkov Memorial Tournament and they bagged the eighth Asian gold in Khabarovsk.
Kazakhstan’s newly crowned bantamweight National Champion Kayrat Yeraliyev eliminated India’s London 2012 Olympian and AIBA Asian Olympic Qualifiers winner Shiva Thapa in the semi-final stage of the event and following that superb triumph the 23-year-old Central Asian fighter defeated Azerbaijan’s Tural Ahmadov for the gold as well.
Kazakhstan’s strong lightweight hope Berik Abdrakhmanov defeated a South Korean and a newcomer North Korean boxer in the road to the final where he triumphed over Russia’s 21-year-old Sergey Krasnitskiy as well. Berik Abdrakhmanov was silver medallist at the Belgrade Winner Tournament last month while he was able to change the medal into a brighter one in Khabarovsk.
Beijing 2008 Olympian and WSB Individual Championships silver medallist Merey Akshalov also continued the winning path for Kazakhstan in Khabarovsk. The 25-year-old light welterweight boxer bagged the gold medal at the Chemistry Cup in March and eliminated all of his rivals at the Korotkov Memorial Tournament which are excellent premonitions for him before the Asian continental event.
In the absence of Asian Games winner and London 2012 Olympics quarter-finalist Daniyar Yeleussinov, Kazakh National Championships silver medallist Bakhytzhan Kozhabekov won the gold for the Central Asian boxing power at the welterweight class. In the final he met with India’s veteran Dilbag Singh but his footwork was too quick for his South Asian rival.
Kazakhstan’s National Champion at the middleweight class was Zhanibek Alimkhanuly but in his absence Great Silk Way Tournament winner Nurdaulet Zharmanov made a perfect substitution in the Korotkov Memorial Tournament where he defeated Hungary’s Barnabas Hegyi in a close semi-finals and dominated the final against Philippines’ Asian Games quarter-finalist Wilfredo Lopez.
London 2012 Olympics silver medallist Adilbek Niyazymbetov’s main mission this year is to be crowned at the 2013 AIBA World Boxing Championships on home soil. The 24-year-old Kazakh star is unbeaten since the Olympic final and did not give any chance to his opponents in Khabarovsk and made a remarkable performance.
Asia’s top heavyweight boxer London 2012 Olympics bronze medallist Ivan Dychko hammered his rivals in the super heavyweight class in Khabarovsk where he was in different level. Kazakhstan’s 200cm tall star triumphed over Ukraine’s Oleksandr Babich in the final of the king’s division and secured the seventh gold medal for the Central Asian boxing power.
At the light flyweight class among the Asian boxers India’s former AIBA Youth World Champion and Asian Championships runner-up Nanao Thokchom Singh claimed a silver medal following his loss to Russia’s new surprise Bator Sagaluyev who defeated also Kazakhstan’s Asian Games silver medallist Birzhan Zhakipov and South Korea’s AIBA World Championships silver medallist Shin Jong Hun.