11 years ago on this day – The finals of the 2009 ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships were held in Zhuhai
The 2009 edition of the ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships finished on this day eleven years ago in Zhuhai, China. The host country won the team rankings but Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Thailand are also impressed in the event. Turkmenistan never earned any titles before the Zhuhai event in the previous editions but Serdar Hudayberdiyev won their first ever gold medal.
“Zhuhai is a garden-like seaside tourist city with amiable climate, beautiful beaches, and convenient transportation,” said Mr. Chang Jianping the President of the Asian Boxing Confederation and the President of the Chinese Boxing Association just before the start of the continental event.
The preliminary bouts of the 2009 ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships began on the 7th of June and the finals took place on the 13th June. CCTV, which is the biggest television network in China, broadcasted the whole 2009 ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships.
The host nation of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games China, furthermore Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Thailand won altogether five gold medals, therefore the 2009 ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships guaranteed the high level in Zhuhai. The Asian boxing was the most successful continent in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Altogether 169 boxers from 21 countries have registered to take part in the ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships in Zhuhai City one month before the start of the continental event. Finally, 119 elite male boxers could attend in the event in the city of Zhuhai. Until today it was the highest and biggest boxing sports events which Zhuhai conducted.
The following 18 nations attended in the 2009 ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships: China, DPR Korea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
China topped the medal table with three gold, three silver and two bronze medals ahead of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Thailand which nations each claimed two titles in Zhuhai. India claimed one gold medal while Turkmenistan won its first ever continental title in the history of the ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships. Thirteen nations shared the medals in Zhuhai where Iran, Jordan, Mongolia, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Lebanon and DPR Korea were also on the medal table.
Among the eleven winners Kazakhstan’s Vasiliy Levit and Thailand’s Wuttichai Masuk are still active in our sport in 2020. The Kazakh heavyweight (91kg) boxer was too strong for China’s Li Bin in the final of the 2009 edition and he qualified already to his third Olympic Games through the 2020 Asian & Oceanian Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event. The latter Thai boxer was only 19 by the time of the Zhuhai event but he won the featherweight (57kg) after beating Uzbekistan’s Khurshid Tajibayev. Masuk was near to qualify for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games in Amman but he has still a second a chance to make it happen.
The first title of the 2009 ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships was achieved by Kaeo Pongprayoon who defeated India’s teenage talent Nanao Thokchom Singh in the final of the light flyweight (48kg) in the absence of China’s Olympic Champion Zou Shiming. The Chinese titles were achieved by Ma Yunhao, Zhang Jianting and Zhang Zhilei following their tough battles in the event.
Turkmenistan never achieved any gold medals in the history of the event but their 23-year-old boxer Serdar Hudayberdiyev controlled all of his bouts including his final over India’s Jai Bhagwan Singh. Kazakhstan’s star AIBA World Champion Serik Sapiyev dominated the welterweight (69kg) while Uzbekistan’s duo Sanjarbek Rahmonov and Asian Games winner Elshod Rasulov also won their categories in the 2009 edition.
List of the winners in the 2009 ASBC Asian Men’s Elite Boxing Championships
48kg: Kaeo Pongprayoon, Thailand
51kg: Suranjoy Mayengbam Singh, India
54kg: Ma Yunhao, China 57kg: Wuttichai Masuk, Thailand
60kg: Serdar Hudayberdiyev, Turkmenistan
64kg: Sanjarbek Rahmonov, Uzbekistan
69kg: Serik Sapiyev, Kazakhstan 75kg: Zhang Jianting, China 81kg: Elshod Rasulov, Uzbekistan
91kg: Vasiliy Levit, Kazakhstan +91kg: Zhang Zhilei, China
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