Rakhimov, Tao Mingxi, Bektas and Meliev shined in the famous Shokhr Boltekuly Memorial Tournament
The 17th edition of the Shokhr Boltekuly Memorial Tournament was held in the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan where Khusravkhon Rakhimov, Tao Mingxi, Azamat Bektas and Makhsudkhon Meliev were the stars of the event.
Mr. Shokhr Boltekuly was one of the pioneers of boxing in Kazakhstan, he had an important role to build up the sport in the country during the period of the Soviet Union still in the 1920s and 1930s. He trained several generation of boxers in Kazakhstan and the event holds the name of the iconic boxing coach.
The event was held with the participation of several strong countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, China, and Tajikistan.
Mangystau region’s 23-year-old Daryn Kulzhabayev eliminated Uzbekistan’s Ibrokhimjon Rakhmonjonov in the semi-finals of the flyweight and he walked over to the title against the experienced Nursultan Nuridenov.
Li Shaoqing defeated four boxers to take the next title in the Boltekuly Memorial Tournament including such experienced pugilists as Zalimkhan Suleymanov of Azerbaijan, Aktilek Orynbasar of Kazakhstan and Sayfiddin Sabirov of Uzbekistan.
Tajikistan’s ASBC Asian U22 silver medallist Khusravkhon Rakhimov has been competing in Kazakhstan several times every year and he won the busy lightweight (60kg) in Aktau. Turkmenistan’s new sensation, Ysmail Gurbanberdyyev defeated strong Uzbek, Kazakh and Azeri opponents during his road to the final but Rakhimov stopped him in that bout.
Uzbekistan’s Boburbek Bobojonov defeated Turkmenistan’s Dayanch Jurayev, China’s Wang Tianqi, Azerbaijan’s experienced Ruslan Rustamov and Kazakhstan’s Baglan Turganbay to take the next gold medal in Aktau.
China sent a strong team to the Boltekuly Memorial and their Tao Mingxi defeated a local boy, Arlan Kenshilik to earn the middleweight (75kg) title. The World Championships quarter-finalist Nurkanat Raiys moved up to the light heavyweight (80kg) successfully but after two great victories, he was not able to box in the final.
Azamat Bektas dominated his final over Akzhol Abdikhan before Uzbekistan’s Makhsudkhon Meliev controlled the heavyweight in Aktau. The Uzbek boxer defeated Kazakhstan’s teenager Bakytzhan Aitmukhanov and stopped Alisher Nurzhaubay in the final.
Kyzyl-Orda region’s 19-year-old Aslan Yeldybayuly marched to the finals of the super heavyweight but he suffered an unexpected loss to another teenage talent from the Mangystau region, Salauat Tlekbay.
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