Umar Raza Khan is Pakistan’s first medallist in Colombo

Pakistan’s Umar Raza Khan is his nation’s first medallist at the ASBC Asian U22 & Youth Boxing Championships in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, French Polynesia, IBA-India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, IBA-Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam are the 23 participating nations in this championship.

Tajikistan’s Muinkhodzha Muminov has joined the U22 age group only this January but he dictated the tempo against Nepal’s elite national team member Lal Prasad Upreti in the first round. The Nepali boxer competed in several events last year and he was able to switch into a higher tempo in the beginning of the second round. The final verdict was depended on their performance in the third round when Muminov was slightly better and he managed his road to the medal phase of the championship.

Sri Lanka’s Umayanga Mihiran earned a bronze medal at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Chiang Mai half year ago and he is a favourite in Colombo as well. The 22-year-old Sri Lankan was a hard target for Kyrgyzstan’s Bekzat Ergeshov who had similar technical knowledge as Mihiran. The Sri Lankan used his counter-attacking style of boxing and enjoyed the support of the local crowd to win this impressive 51kg quarter-final bout.

Kazakhstan’s Dias Berikbay competed in the last edition of the Youth World Boxing Championships and the 19-year-old talent is now member of their U22 national team. The Kazakh talent met Cambodia’s Novell Long in the quarter-finals of the men’s flyweight (51kg) and he finished the job in the first round with lethal combinations.

IBA-Pakistan’s southpaw, Umar Raza Khan had strong sparring sessions before the start of the championships and he used his longer reach well enough against Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Almuwallad. The Pakistani bantamweight (54kg) boxer counter-attacked the Saudi rival with perfect timing and he worked well enough to win this quarter-final.

Sri Lanka’s next U22 talent in action was Ashen Shehara Karunanayake who moved forward from the first seconds to catch Malaysia’s Mohamad Rizal Bin Wahidi at the U22 bantamweight (54kg). The young Sri Lankan felt the rhythm in the first and second rounds as well but the Malaysian gave in everything in the third to turn back their quarter-final. The referee counted both boxers in the last round but Karunanayake had the advantage to keep the triumph in the front of the home crowd.

Bangladesh’s Mohamed Utsob Ahmed competed in the last edition of the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Chiang Mai but he could not expect an easy bout against Tajikistan’s Anushervon Fazylov. The 19-year-old Tajik felt the fighting range better than the opponent from Bangladesh and his powerful body shots were decisive between them today.

Kyrgyzstan’s Zafarbek Kamilov eliminated his first top opponent in the preliminary stage and he met Vietnam’s Tran Quang Loc as second in the quarter-finals. The Vietnamese bantamweight (54kg) boxer was more competitive than the 19-year-old Kamilov was expected and after two rounds, Tran had the advantage on the scorecards. Kamilov made a great final round and demonstrated his stamina and physical skills as well to made a U-turn in this medal bout.

Kazakhstan’s Zhasurbek Anorbayev is a 21-year-old boxer at the featherweight (57kg) with not enough international experience yet but he was too strong for Sri Lanka’s Meegalla Thenuwan Bandara. The referee counted altogether three-times the local boxer and confirmed Anorbayev’s RSC victory in the first half of the second round.

Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Kaldybayev was born in 2005 but he had a clear dominance against IBA-Pakistan’s Muhammad Ahmad in the first round of their lightweight (60kg) meeting. French Polynesia’s Mateo Poullet-Osier received several punches from Sri Lanka’s Mudalige T. Deshan Jayasundara and the local boxer had the advantage after the first round. The Sri Lankan lightweight (60kg) talent had the strong performance in this contest to take the guaranteed medal in Colombo.

Tajikistan’s Damir Muybalikhonov was not only taller than Cambodia’s Vireak Ron but he had the advantage in terms of routine and technique. The Tajik lightweight (60kg) class boxer outpointed the Cambodian from longer range and he landed several strong stopping jabs to win this quarter-final contest in Colombo.

Uzbekistan’s southpaw Shokhrukh Abdumalikov competed in the 2023 Asian Youth Boxing Championships and he returned to the ASBC events after one and half year of break. The Uzbek lightweight (60kg) boxer had a difficult job against Vietnam’s strongly developed Vu Huynh Tan but finally he managed to join the semi-finals.

Saudi Arabia’s Mousa Alhawsaw not only earned medals in all of the recent national events but he represented the country in the 2024 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships as well. The Saudi boxer was taller than Sri Lanka’s Mudalige Muditha Paris Mahipala and he looked stronger in the exchanges and he also finished the job in the second round. Kyrgyzstan’s ASBC Asian Youth silver medallist Omar Livaza won the last bout of the session against an Indian opponent, Shubham.

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