Eight Asian male gold medals at the Bocskai Memorial Tournament
Kazakhstan earned six, while Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan both one male gold medal at the 67th Bocskai Memorial Tournament in Debrecen, Hungary. Following Kazakhstan’s Rimma Volosenko’s, Laura Yessenkeldi’s, and Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong’s female titles on Day4, the number of the Asian gold medals have been increased up to 11.
The Bocskai Memorial Tournament is one of the oldest European international competitions after the Strandja Memorial Tournament. Altogether 25 countries and 279 boxers participated in the new edition of the event which was launched still in the mid-1950s. The Asian boxers shined in one of the strongest editions of the Bocskai Memorial Tournament making their nations proud.
Kazakhstan’s defending World Champion at the minimumweight (48kg), Temirtas Zhussupov is a 35-year-old veteran but he has still the speed to catch his younger rivals. The Kazakh faced a neighbour in the final, Kyrgyzstan’s Asylbek Amankul Uulu who is the new National Champion in his home country. The outstanding Kazakh had the strong height advantage in this final but he worked from longer range several times in this top contest. Zhussupov reached his southpaw Kyrgyz rival with strong jabs and controlled the bout well enough to win his next title.
Uzbekistan’s Oybek Jurayev achieved a silver medal already at the 2013 ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships at the age of 15 and he spent the recent nine years to increase his technical skills and strengths. The Uzbek bantamweight (54kg) boxer eliminated Ukraine’s Pavlo Kovalenko in the semi-final and he continued his winning path against Hungary’s lone male finalist, Gabor Virban. Jurayev, who claimed gold medal at the Nationals in 2019, proved his strong progress, and defeated his Hungarian rival in Debrecen.
One of the best Kazakh boxers is Serik Temirzhanov in the national team who earned a silver medal from the Belgrade 2021 World Boxing Championships and he reached also the same at the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships. The Kazakh featherweight (57kg) boxer eliminated Uzbekistan’s Samandar Kholmurodov in the semi-finals and he controlled his final over the reigning European Champion Vasile Usturoi. Temirzhanov did not let the quick Belgian to move in the ring and from closer distance, the Kazakh was more successful.
Kazakhstan’s Samatali Toltayev had a few unexpected losses in the recent competitions but he could increase his confidence in this Bocskai Memorial Tournament. The 23-year-old Kazakh had a nightmare in the first round of his lightweight (60kg) final as Australia’s Fred Zziwa knocked him down. Toltayev renewed from that moment and he increased his rhythm immediately still in the opening period of the final. The Kazakh boxer, who achieved a silver still at the 2016 Youth World Boxing Championships, turned back his final and reached the top of the podium in Debrecen.
Ayatulla Takizhanov is a former ASBC Asian Youth Champion and he moved up to the middleweight (75kg) during his elite career. The 24-year-old Kazakh had a tactical first round against Ukraine’s Ivan Papakin but he turned up the heat in time to win this final bout. Takizhanov amazed in the final round which means the Pavlodar region bagged its second gold medal in the Bocskai Memorial Tournament after Temirzhanov’s gold.
The Kyrgyz team arrived to the 67th Bocskai Memorial Tournament in the final minute due to the delayed flights. Their most experienced boxer, Erkin Adylbek Uulu, who was the flag bearer of their team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, not only advanced to the final of the cruiserweight (86kg) but he won the competition. He is already three-times bronze medallist from the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships and his skills were enough to beat Ukraine’s Bogdan Tolmachov and Belgium’s Idris Legenasse in the final stages.
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