Xinjiang’s prides as Sardar Ahati and Danabieke Bayikewuzi opened their campaigns strongly in Urumqi

Following the Grand Opening Ceremony, the R&J Seminar and the Technical Meeting of the 2nd Belt & Road International Youth Boxing Festival, the bouts began in the city of Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, China.

The official and full name of the competition is the Belt & Road International Youth Boxing Gala and Sports Lottery Cup, Xinjiang, China International Boxing Invitational. The Chinese Boxing Federation, the Xinjiang Boxing Federation and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Municipal Government are the organizers of the Festival.

Altogether 30 youth girls, 43 youth boys and 44 elite men boxers are participating in Urumqi, representing 12 teams. China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Uzbekistan are the attending nations in the event.

China’s youth national team member Zhang Hanrui eliminated one of the top Mongolian talents, the ASBC Asian Junior bronze medallist Manal Tsendbaatar at the men’s bantamweight (54kg) in the opening session of the competition.

Another Chinese youth boxer from their national team, Liu Zhangkai outpointed Uzbekistan’s Shokhrukh Saidov at the featherweight (57kg) and he proved the next top performance of the Belt & Road Festival in the city of Urumqi.

A local hope, Sardar Ahati is one of the top youth boxers from the Xinjiang region who had a successful mission against Kazakhstan’s Almaty-based Daniyal Yeskeldi at the youth light heavyweight (80kg).

Kyrgyzstan’s two-time World Championships quarter-finalist Sanzhai Seidakmatov eliminated Uzbekistan’s Bobir Tokhtayev in the elite featherweight (57kg) but his teammate, the ASBC Asian U22 silver medallist Mirzokhid Imamnazarov lost to China’s Asian Games competitor Wang Xiangyang in one of the closest contests of the session.

Tajikistan’s Bakhtiyor Mirzomukhammadi is a 32-year-old veteran with 14 years of experience in the international stage who moved up to the light heavyweight (80kg). The Tajik boxer caused a surprise in the competition when he defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Asian bronze medallist Sagyn Satybaldy Uulu. Qin Haoran from Henan was the next boxer who caused a surprise in the event, the heavyweight (92kg) boxer defeated Kazakhstan’s Madi Amirov. China’s and Xinjiang’s pride, the World Championships quarter-finalist Danabieke Bayikewuzi stopped his Kazakh opponent, Yersultan Sapar at the super heavyweight (+92kg).

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