Strong Central Asians at the Aghalarov Youth Memorial Tournament

The Abbas Aghalarov Youth Memorial Tournament was held in Baku, Azerbaijan and its fifth competition day delivered 13 strong finals. Next to the host country, the Central Asian boxing powers, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan all were key nations in the Aghalarov Memorial Tournament.

The number of the boxers was 97 in the new edition of the Abbas Aghalarov Youth Memorial Tournament in Baku. Athletes who were born in 2006 and in 2007 were eligible to participate in this international event in Azerbaijan’s capital city. The light welterweight (63.5kg) was the busiest category with the participation of 16 boxers.

Azerbaijan earned five gold medals in the Aghalarov Youth Memorial Tournament on home soil and among them, Abbasgulu Shadlinskiy made the biggest surprise. The welterweight (67kg) boxer had a bad start against Kazakhstan’s ASBC Asian Youth Champion Torekhan Sabyrkhan but his shots were decisive in the second round.

Tajikistan’s Mansurkhuja Muminov is one of the new sensations in the smallest weight class, the 16-year-old ASBC Junior Championships bronze medallist almost won his first ever youth competition. He was defeated by Azerbaijan’s Bilalkhabashi Nazarov in an excellent minimumweight (48kg) final bout.

The next two finalists from Tajikistan succeeded in the Aghalarov Tournament, their Anushervon Fozilov defeated Kazakhstan’s Yerasyl Amangaliyev in the final of the bantamweight (54kg). Ruslan Gafurov has four years of international experience and his heavy shots delivered for him a stoppage against Uzbekistan’s Said Yunusov, earning the title at the light welterweight (63.5kg).

Kazakhstan Oner Seilkhan is a top boxer at the light middleweight (71kg) and he was unstoppable for his teammate in the final, Almukhamed Akhmetov. Kazakhstan’s Sanzhar-Ali Begaliyev, the ASBC Asian Junior Champion from 2022, knocked out Mirjalal Miragayev in the final of the middleweight (75kg). 

Madiyar Beksultanov is the new Youth National Champion at the light heavyweight (80kg) in Kazakhstan who had a successful mission against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Mekhriddinov in the next final. Daulet Daniyar earned Kazakhstan’s fourth gold medal in Baku, he won two out of the three rounds against his compatriot, Yeraly Shopanov.

Uzbekistan’s lone gold medallist in the Abbas Aghalarov Youth Memorial Tournament was Rakhmodjon Kodirov at the cruiserweight (86kg) who defeated a local boxer, Ruslan Gakhramonov in the final.

The list of the winners at the 2023 Abbas Aghalarov Youth Memorial Tournament

 48kg: Bilalkhabashi Nazarov, Azerbaijan

 51kg: Zidan Hunbatov, Azerbaijan

 54kg: Anushervon Fozilov, Tajikistan

 57kg: Tagi Nasibov, Azerbaijan

 60kg: Muhammadali Gasimzada, Azerbaijan

 63.5kg: Ruslan Gafurov, Tajikistan

 67kg: Abbasgulu Shadlinskiy, Azerbaijan

 71kg: Oner Seilkhan, Kazakhstan

 75kg: Sanzhar-Ali Begaliyev, Kazakhstan

 80kg: Madiyar Beksultanov, Kazakhstan

 86kg: Rakhmodjon Kodirov, Uzbekistan

 92kg: Daulet Daniyar, Kazakhstan

 +92kg: Magomedkhan Malachiyev, Russia

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