Kazakhstan’s Abilkhan Amankul regained his place in the top national team following his gold at the Shokhr Boltekuly Memorial Tournament

The Shokhr Boltekuly Memorial Tournament was held in the city of the Aktau which competition is traditional international event in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan’s AIBA World Boxing Championships silver medallist Abilkhan Amankul returned with an amazing success which means he could be the Central Asian boxing power’s middleweight (75kg) boxer in the upcoming Olympic Qualification Event.
Shokhr Boltekuly was one of the pioneer coaches in Kazakhstan’s boxing life in the beginning of the last century and the competition was named after him to remains his memory. Kazakhstan’s boxing is one of the bests in the Asian continent and also in the world therefore among the eight winners seven represented the host country.
Kazakhstan’s two-time Bocskai Memorial Tournament winner Azat Makhmetov competed for the country in the Jakarta 2018 Asian Games and became the first winner in the Shokhr Boltekuly Memorial Tournament. The 28-year-old flyweight (52kg) boxer defeated Olzhas Bayniyazov in the semi-finals and he was also too smart for Mangystau region’s Kuanysh Duisebay in the title bout.
Serik Temirzhanov was ASBC Asian Youth Champion in 2016 and following that success the Pavlodar-based boxer moved ahead in the national ranking step by step. The 21-year-old bantamweight (57kg) hope won the Bocskai Memorial Tournament in Hungary this February and he defeated all of his rivals in Aktau as well. Temirzhanov was quicker than ASBC Asian Youth Champion Samatali Toltayev in the semi-finals and he continued his winning path also against Rustem Shaumenov of Karagandy region.
Tajikistan reached fantastic results in the whole year and their boxers showed strong developments in 2019. Their new No.1 Bakhodur Usmonov claimed the gold medal at the Bangkok 2019 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships this April. The 22-year-old Tajik continued his winning path also in Aktau where he was too quick for Kazakhstan’s Yertugan Zeinuldinov in the final of the lightweight (63kg).
The welterweight (69kg) is always super strong in Kazakhstan and in the absence of their AIBA and ASBC medallists as Ablaikhan Zhussupov and Aslanbek Shymbergenov, a young hope impressed in Aktau which is located off the coast of the Caspian Sea. Mangystau region’s Sultan Sharshov reached good results as a youth boxer but as an elite the title of the Shokhr Boltekuly Memorial Tournament is his career highlight.
Kazakhstan’s Hamburg 2017 AIBA World Boxing Championships silver medallist Abilkhan Amankul suffered a shoulder injury and had to miss all of the important competitions in 2019. He was replaced by Tursynbai Kulakhmet who claimed gold at the Bangkok ASBC Asian Boxing Championships and bronze in the Yekaterinburg 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships. Amankul met with his main national rival in the final of the middleweight (75kg) and defeated Kulakhmet which means he could be Kazakhstan’s participant in the upcoming Asian & Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event.
Mangystau region’s Nuras Zhenis is a local hope who boxed over his previous limits and defeated Arman Nurasilov and Kyrgyzstan’s Taalaybek Aitbek Uulu in the final stages of the light heavyweight (81kg). ASBC Asian Champion Bek Nurmaganbet moved up to the heavyweight (91kg) but acclimatized quickly and defeated experienced Nurlan Sabirov in the final of the Shokhr Boltekuly Memorial Tournament.
Yerkin Mukhamedzhan of Atyrau region competed for Astana Arlans Kazakhstan in the World Series of Boxing at the heavyweight (91kg) therefore he is a well-known name in the international stages. The 25-year-old boxer moved up to the super heavyweight (+91kg) and defeated Uzbekistan’s Abdulla Khudorganov and his teammate Ayboldy Daurenuly in the final of the event.

List of the winners in the Shokhr Boltekuly Memorial Tournament
52kg: Azat Makhmetov, Kazakhstan
57kg: Serik Temirzhanov, Kazakhstan
63kg: Bakhodur Usmonov, Tajikistan
69kg: Sultan Sharshov, Kazakhstan
75kg: Abilkhan Amankul, Kazakhstan
81kg: Zhenis Nuras, Kazakhstan
91kg: Bek Nurmaganbet, Kazakhstan
+91kg: Yerkin Mukhamedzhan, Kazakhstan

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