Abdumalik Khalakov downs AIBA World Champion to claim the 39th Gee Bee Tournament title in Helsinki

The prestigious Gee Bee Tournament was a parallel competition with the Asian & Oceanian Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event but Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Uzbekistan sent future hopes to Finland. Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany, Armenia, host Finland, Wales, Sweden, Netherlands and many other nations also sent their squads to Helsinki.

Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalakov defeated Kazakhstan’s AIBA World Champion Kairat Yeraliyev in a fantastic final. Uzbekistan’s 19-year-old Abdumalik Khalakov is one of the biggest talents in the whole world who had to miss the Asian & Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event due his teammate Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov is the defending AIBA World Champion.

The super talented Uzbek won the big three in 2018, the Youth Olympic Games, the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships and also the ASBC Asian Youth Boxing Championships. Khalakov eliminated Germany’s AIBA World Boxing Championships quarter-finalist Murat Yildirim and Russia’s EUBC European Youth Champion Vsevolod Shumkov during his road to the final. The Uzbek teenager used his best weapons and unpredictable footwork to beat Kazakhstan’s 2017 AIBA World Champion Kairat Yeraliyev in an amazing final.

Uzbekistan’s Asadkhudja Muydinkhudjayev amazed in the semi-finals of the lightweight (63kg) against Armenia’s Narek Hovhannisyan but he was unable to box in the final due his cuts therefore Russia’s National Champion Aleksey Mazur won the gold. Afghanistan’s Yousof Rohullah advanced to the final of the bantamweight (57kg) and claimed silver medal in Helsinki.

Jakarta 2018 Asian Games silver medallist Aslanbek Shymbergenov (69kg) and Nurlan Saparbay (+91kg) lost their narrow finals to their Russian and French opponents therefore the two Kazakhs also achieved silvers.