Uzbekistan’s Hurshid Tojibayev qualified to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
19 July, 2015
Uzbekistan’s Hurshid Tojibayev qualified to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Uzbekistan’s Beijing 2008 Olympian and former Asian Junior Continental Champion Hurshid Tojibayev has qualified to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games following his triumph over Russia’s EUBC European Continental Championships silver medallist Dmitriy Polyanskiy in the AIBA Pro Boxing Cycle I Round 2 which bout was held in Tashkent.
Kazakhstan has bagged already three Olympic quotas while China and Iran both one in the World Series of Boxing and AIBA Pro Boxing but Tojibayev’s qualification place was the first one for Uzbekistan. The number of the Asian Olympic quotas raised up to six following Tojibayev’s wonderful performance in the Tashkent APB event.
Hurshid Tojibayev was near to win the APB title in January but he suffered a close loss to Kazakhstan’s Berik Abdrakhmanov in their Lightweight class (60 kg) bout. The Uzbek boxer won three rounds in that bout but finally Abdrakhmanov’s hand was raised after the battle which was one of the best in the APB.
Tojibayev won his first bout against Ireland’s David Oliver Joyce in the Cycle I Round 1 one month ago also in Tashkent in the front of the home crowd using his wonderful quick right jabs. Following that contest Tojibayev prepared to his next goal to get the Rio 2016 Olympic quota in the important Round 2.
The 26-year-old Uzbek boxer began the bout against Russia’s technician boxer Dmitriy Polyanskiy with great combinations in the opening round and took the lead very quickly. The Uzbek boxer continued the same tactic in the second three minutes while Polyanskiy felt incomfortable as he did not find the best fighting distance.
Tojibayev’s rhythm was not good enough in the fourth round which was their deep point in the bout and Polyanskiy was able to win that three minutes. The Uzbek boxer re-newed in the fifth round and found the winning way back and the weak point of the Russian competitor once again. Uzbekistan’s experienced boxer dominated the last rounds and enjoyed the battle which delivered for him a clear triumph and an Olympic quota for Tojibayev.
Tojibayev not only qualified to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games but he will be fighting for the APB Champion Belt against Kazakhstan’s AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist and defending ASBC Asian Continental Champion Berik Abdrakhmanov who is also an Olympian. Their forthcoming re-match will be one of the highlight of the APB title bouts in September.