The magnificent Kazakh seven in Shymkent

In the last competition day of the ASBC Asian Junior Championships in Shymkent the finals were held in thirteen weight classes. The host country of the event Kazakhstan claimed more than 50% of the top positions finally seven golds, Uzbekistan acquired four while AIBA Team and China both bagged one gold medal in the week-long championships. Kazakhstan’s Yukov Junior Memorial Tournament winner Nursultan Bekbolat won three contests on the road to the finals in the ASBC Asian Junior Championships in Shymkent and continued the winning path in the gold medal contest as well. The 15-year-old Bekbolat had better footwork than Uzbekistan’s Suleyman Latipov and secured the host nation’s first gold medal in the front of the home crowd. Turkmenistan’s only finalists in the ASBC Asian Junior Championships was Muhammet Berdibayev who was the Central Asian nation’s youngest competitor in Shymkent. The Dashoguz-based light flyweight boxer celebrated his 15th birthday during the championships but he was not able to solve the battle against Uzbekistan’s native talent Ulugbek Rahimov whose ringside found the winning tactic over the Turkmen athlete. Kazakhstan’s Almaty-based Stoyan Mazur also won three contests until the final of the flyweight division where he met with Uzbekistan’s Sherzod Komilov who defeated strong European rivals at the Matviychuk Junior Memorial Tournament in February. Mazur won the second battle between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and proved his skills are world class level. Uzbekistan’s new sensation Javokhirbek Karimov who eliminated the favourite of the 52kg weight class, Kazakhstan’s Stanislav Kalitskiy in the quarter-finals, finished in the top of the division. Tajikistan’s first finalist in the event was two-time Dushanbe Junior Tournament winner Bakhodur Usmonov but the Uzbek boxer was more experienced in their battle. Next to his gold medal talented Karimov received the best technique boxer award in Shymkent. Kazakhstan’s spearhead in the national junior squad is Children of Asia Games winner Abylaykhan Zhussupov who secured the gold medals in his last four main competitions and continued this excellent series on his fifth appearance in Shymkent as well. The 16-year-old bantamweight star did not give too many chance to Tajikistan’s Dalerzhon Khuseinov who moved up a weight class just before the ASBC Asian Junior Championships but he was also very satisfied with the silver in the continental event. The most anticipated final fight have been realized between Kazakhstan’s Yukov Junior Memorial Tournament winner Sabyrzhan Abilov and Uzbekistan’s Suleimenov Junior Tournament gold medallist Muzaffar Rashidov at the featherweight class. Their spectacular final battle has ended with the victory of the host nation’s new pride who was awarded the best boxer trophy of the championships as well. Kazakhstan’s Suleimenov Junior Tournament winner Azat Ilyubayev who has been training in the city of Petropavlovsk fought for the host nation’s further gold medal in the seventh final of the day. AIBA Team’s only finalist was Prayag Chauhan who has been boxing since 2007 and won two national titles in different age groups since then. The New Delhi-based lightweight boxer realized his golden expectations and secured his career highlight in Shymkent. Kazakhstan’s Karaganda-based Vladislav Stolbovskiy won the National Junior Championships in January and received the right to compete in the championships. The Karaganda-based fighter triumphed over Tajikistan’s third finalist in Shymkent 15-year-old Khamza Sulaymonov who moved up a division last month and that was more than a good decision from the youngster’s coach. One of the most experienced boxer in the Kazakh junior national squad is Rakhat Marzhikpayev who came from a real boxing family and could fight for the gold medal against Uzbekistan’s rising star Eldar Merzhanov. Their battle in the 66kg weight class was a top level but only one of them could win the Asian junior title in Shymkent. Marzhikpayev’s hand was raised after their finals but both of them will have excellent expectations in the upcoming AIBA Junior World Championships. Uzbekistan’s Kozimbek Mardonov defeated the best Russian junior boxer in the Matviychuk Junior Memorial Tournament in Magnitogorsk two months ago and travelled to Shymkent as the top favourite of the 70kg weight category. The 15-year-old Uzbek star won all of his contests in the ASBC Asian Junior Championships, finally he was also too strong for Kazakhstan’s newly crowned national champion in this age group Kadyrbek Sadykbek. China’s only boxer in the last competition day Dong Wenlong who competed well in last year’s junior events as well and reached his best ever performance winning the gold in Shymkent. His opponent was Uzbekistan’s Bakhromjon Fozilov who eliminated his main rival Kazakhstan’s Zhumakeldy Rayev in the semi-final stage of the championships but finally he was defeated by the Chinese competitor. Uzbekistan’s ninth and last finalist in Shymkent was their 80kg boxer, Junior National Champion Obidjon Tokhirov who won his opening contest in the championships and advanced to the final where he met with Kazakhstan’s Junior National Champion Aydos Duash. The Ferghana-based athlete delivered the fourth gold medal for Uzbekistan following his tough performance in the ASBC Asian Junior Championships. In the highest weight class Kazakhstan’s Yukov Junior Memorial Tournament silver medallist Dmitriy Zisko shocked his United Arab Emirates’ Abdul Azizi Bal Harth in the final with his powerful jabs. The referee stopped their unequal contest and declared the technical knock out before the final bell. Despite of his loss United Arab Emirates’ Abdul Azizi Bal Harth made a history advancing to the final stage of the continental championships as first boxer from his developing country. The Asian Boxing Confederation’s next tournament will be the Men’s Elite Continental Championships this Summer which will be the most expected event of the 2013 Asian boxing calendar.