Tajik star Usmonov snags top award in prestigious Finland tourney

Former Asian light welterweight champion Bakhodur Usmonov of Tajikistan dazzled among strong competitors to seize the Best Male Boxer trophy in the recently-concluded 40th GeeBee International Boxing Tournament held at the Helsinki Sport Hall in Finland from April 7 to 10.

The 2019 Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) Asian Elite Boxing Championships winner Usmonov came through with a convincing 4-1 victory over 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medalist Reese Lynch of Scotland in the men’s light welterweight title bout.

Prior to that, the 24-year-old Tajik star decimated Hamlet Mnatsakanyan of Armenia, 5-0, in the quarterfinals then edged out World Championships veteran Richard Kovacs of Hungary, 3-2, in a hard-fought semifinal match.

Usmonov, a bronze finisher in the 2021 Asian Championships and a silver winner in the 2013 Asian Junior Championships, competed in the recognized GeeBee tourney organized by the European Boxing Confederation (EUBC) as part of his diligent preparation for the 2022 Asian Games slated in Hangzhou, China in September.

The Tajik flag bearer and 2020 Tokyo Olympics campaigner also expressed his intention to join the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

Meanwhile, a record number of 10 nations namely host Finland, Bulgaria, Sweden, Hungary, France, England, Germany, Norway, Ukraine and Tajikistan copped at least one gold medal in the traditional Finnish boxing event that went on a two-year break.

Former world featherweight titlist Stanimira Petrova of Bulgaria was hailed as the Best Female Boxer even as Mykyta Alistratov of Ukraine was named Best Fighter and 20-year-old Nikita Nystedt emerged as the best Finnish pugilist.

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