Saylom Ardee and Amnat Ruenroeng were Thailand’s heroes in the second competition day in Rio

Three Asian boxers won their contests in the first competition day of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games yesterday while seven of our athletes attended on Day2. Thailand, Uzbekistan and Mongolia won altogether four contests in the second competition day in the boxing tournament of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Men’s Lightweight class (60 kg):
Record number of ten Asian boxers qualified in this category where Chinese Taipei’s Lai Chu En tried to do his very best against Netherlands’ Enrico La Cruz in the first bout of the second competition day. The Taiwanese boxer lost to his European opponent two months ago but he did not give up the fight before its start. Lai is only 20 now who delivered better performance in comparison to their first bout and his fighting spirit was great but he could not eliminate his Dutch opponent.
Thailand’s Beijing 2008 Olympian and former AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Amnat Ruenroeng returned from the professional world in the recent months. The Thai veteran moved up to the Lightweight class (60 kg) but his height disadvantage against Argentina’s Ignacio Perrin was not a great problem for him. The professional world No.1 Ruenroeng was concentrated until the final gong and his efforts were enough to advance to the last 16 in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Men’s Welterweight class (69 kg):
Mongolia’s Byamba Tuvshinbat is a veteran athlete who was there also in the London 2012 Olympic Games and all of the important AIBA and ASBC events in the recent one decade. The 29-year-old Mongolian worked well in the opening round against Argentina’s Panamerican Games bronze medallist Alberto Palmetta and took the lead very quickly. The Mongolian boxer did better performance than in the AIBA Asian & Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event and finally he subdued his Argentinean opponent in Rio.
China’s AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Liu Wei is an aggressive boxer who has been attacking from the first seconds until the final bell. He used the same tactic which did not work well against one of the best puncher of the category, Lithuania’s defending EUBC European Confederation Champion Eimantas Stanionis. Liu planned at least three contests in the Olympic Games but he suffered a loss in his opening bout.
Uzbekistan’s Shakhram Giyasov moved up to the Welterweight class (69 kg) in the end of the last year and won their National Championships at the very first time. The Uzbek boxer won the gold medal at the AIBA Asian & Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event in April and arrived to the Olympic Games as a secret medal contender. The Uzbek WSB boxer met with Spain’s Youba Ndiaye Sissokho and he was enough shape to control the bout from the first seconds until the final bell. Giyasov won their contest by unanimous decision which was amazing and a spectacular one in the venue.
Thailand’s ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships silver medallist Saylom Ardee is a veteran boxer who was involved to the national squad in 2005. The three-time Olympian Thai boxer was not enough shape against Belarus’ EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships silver medallist Pavel Kastramin in the first minutes. Ardee had great stamina and launched better punches against his tiring opponent and won their contest by split decision in Rio de Janeiro.

Men’s Light Heavyweight class (81 kg):
Iran’s Ehsan Rouzbahani was APB Champion in January 2015 and he was one of the first Asian boxer who could qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The London 2012 Olympic Games quarter-finalist Persian hope had to meet with Netherlands’ two-time EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships silver medallist Peter Mullenberg in the first preliminary round. The Iranian boxer did not find the best fighting distance in his second Olympic Games therefore the Dutch opponent was able to catch him in the middle of the ring. Rouzbahani was not enough shape this time and suffered a loss in his preliminary bout.