Rio 2016 Olympian Yodgoroy Mirzaeva is among the winners in the Uzbekistan Women’s Elite & Youth National Championships

The Uzbekistan Women’s Elite & Youth National Championships delivered sensational bouts in the last two competition days. Uzbekistan’s first ever Olympian woman boxer Yodgoroy Mirzaeva and the new wave of their girls as Fotimakhon Tursunboyeva, Gulnoza Rakhmatova and Maftunakhon Melieva all achieved the titles in the event.

Uzbekistan’s women’s boxing life is not in the same level as their men’s results yet but their ladies developed well in the recent four years. The number of the women boxers significantly increased since the Incheon 2014 Asian Games. Ferghana hosted the event at the very first time where eleven youth and ten elite boxers were crowned in the Nationals.

The winners in the youth part of the Uzbekistan Women’s National Championships have got the chance to represent the country in the upcoming AIBA Women’s Youth World Boxing Championships. The National Championships was a selection event for their elite boxers to the upcoming ASBC Asian Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships which will be held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in November.

Nigina Mirzayeva was born only in 2000 but she is already an experienced lady who competed already in the 2015 and 2016 national events. The 17-year-old light flyweight (48kg) boxer launched powerful punches against Dilnozakhon Nematullayeva in the final and her opponent’s ringside abandoned their contest in the third round.

Khursandoy Kholmatova is also an experienced youth talent in Uzbekistan who was too strong for all of her opponents in the women’s youth flyweight (51kg). Further top boxers in the youth age group in Ferghana were Maftuna Fayzullayeva, Dildora Rakhmatova, Makhliyo Rakhimova and three-time National Champion Mavluda Mavlonova.

Fotimakhon Tursunboyeva is Uzbekistan’s best light flyweight (48kg) boxer who had hard road to reach the final of the event but she defeated her main rivals such as Maftuna Muzaffarova and Natalia Kadirova. The 22-year-old Tursunboyeva is focusing to the ASBC Asian Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships following her triumph in Ferghana.

Aziza Yokubova delivered one of the main sensation of the whole Uzbekistan Women’s Elite & Youth National Championships when she defeated Chingghis Khan Cup winner Tursunoy Rakhimova in the semi-final and continued her winning path against Ugiloy Satimova in the gold medal bout of the flyweight (51kg).

Farangiz Khoshimova is not an experienced boxer at the elite bantamweight (54kg) but she did sensations as dark horse in the event where the 20-year-old talent defeated AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships competitor and defending National Champion Dilnozakhon Odiljonova and Khilolakhon Sobirova in Ferghana.

Yodgoroy Mirzaeva is the first ever Uzbek woman boxer who could qualify for an Olympic Games before her 20th birthday and proved her best in Ferghana against Incheon 2014 Asian Games competitor Muhayyohon Esenboyeva in the final of the featherweight (57kg). Gulnoza Rakhmatova is only 20 now but she is another prospect in Uzbekistan’s woman boxing life who triumphed over Nigina Solieva and Raykhona Kodirova in the national event.

Maftunakhon Melieva competed already in the 2013 edition of the AIBA Women’s Junior World Boxing Championships and moved up to the light welterweight (64kg) to secure her place in the national team and after her performance in Ferghana, she will be definitely there in the upcoming continental event. Gaukhar Mirzaeva moved down to her original welterweight (69kg) and stopped her opponents in Ferghana.

Ezozakhon Melieva has got experiences from the Astana 2016 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships therefore her title at the light heavyweight (81kg) was not a surprise in Ferghana. Guzal Ismatova claimed silver medal in the last edition of the ASBC Asian Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships in Wulanchabu and walked over to the title in Ferghana as Shakhnoza Badalova was unable to compete against her.