Sri Lanka has bright boxing history
Sri Lanka was one of the pioneer boxing nations in the whole Asian continent and the country will be the host of our next ASBC Asian U22 & Youth Boxing Championships.
The event period of the ASBC Asian U22 & Youth Boxing Championships in the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka will be held between May 10 and 24.
The first Sri Lankan national boxing competitions were held more than 100 years ago, the South Asian country started the sport in the 1910s and 1920s earlier than many of the Asian nations during their British colonization era.
The Clifford Cup had its 94th edition on December 2024 while the Layton Cup has also a traditional event in Sri Lanka with 82 competitions on its history.
Sri Lanka hosted the 1967 Asian Boxing Championships in Colombo which was the third edition of the event after the competitions in Bangkok and in Seoul. Khata Karutaratne not only advanced to the final of the 48kg weight class but he earned a gold medal for the Sri Lankans in 1967.
Sri Lanka hosted the South Asian Games two-times, in 1991 and in 2006 which is the most important regional multisport event. The Sri Lankans bagged three gold medals in the 1991 edition while they had two silvers fifteen years later in 2006.
The Asian Boxing Confederation was established in 2007 therefore the first ever ASBC event will be coming soon in Colombo.
Sri Lanka hosted the Lion’s Cup in Colombo, Three Nations Meeting in Pennala, India-Sri Lanka events and teams from Russia, Vietnam, India and Tanzania also visited the country over the years during Mr. Dian Gomes’ leadership.
One of the best achievements for the Sri Lankans was the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast where Anusha Dilrukshi Kodituwakku, Thiwanka Ranasinghe and Seneviratne Ishan Bandara
The Sri Lankans won one title in the 2019 South Asian Games in Nepal’s capital in Kathmandu which was their next strong achievement in our sport. A light heavyweight (81kg) boxer in 2019, Wanni Arachchige Rumesh Sandakelum, achieved this gold medal in the South Asian Games.
Umayanga Mihiran became their first ASBC medallist after a long break, he claimed a bronze medal at the 2024 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Chiang Mai and he is eligible to participate in the upcoming ASBC Asian U22 & Youth Boxing Championships.
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