Bakhodir Jalolov or Kamshybek Kunkabayev?

The ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championship kicks off in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The national team of Uzbekistan will take part in the most prestigious boxing tournament on the continent, which will last until May 31.

Boxers from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and India are expected to compete for the most gold medals in the men's competitions.

In fact, the tournament was supposed to take place in India. However, as the coronavirus pandemic has increased dramatically in this country, it has been moved to Dubai.

It should be noted that for the last ten years, the masters of leather gloves of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have not won the continental championship in the team stand. In 2011, 2013, and 2015, Kazakh boxers took first place, but in the last two championships, there was no equal to Uzbek boxers. In 2017, Uzbek team won 9 gold medals at the continental championship in Tashkent. In the 2019 tournament hosted by Thailand, they won four gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

The prestige of this year’s Asian Championships is fragmented. Many teams will test their boxers before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. In particular, seven out of ten members of members of national team are boxers who will go to the ring in Tokyo.

The coaches left with these boxers for the competition:

-49 kg: Nodirjon Mirzakhmedov
-52 kg: Shakhobiddin Zoirov
-56 kg: Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov
-60 kg: Abdumalik Khalakov
-64 kg: Elnur Abduraimov
-69 kg: Bobousmon Boturov
-75 kg: Saidjamshid Jafarov
-81 kg: Dilshodbek Ruzmetov
-91 kg: Sanjar Tursunov
+91 kg: Bakhodir Jalolov

Members of the national team of Kazakhstan are recognized as the main rivals of Uzbek boxers in the Asian Championship. This team consisted of hundred percent Olympians.

We compared the chances of Uzbek and Kazakh boxers in each weight category.

We start with the lightest weight. At the recent Governor's Cup in Russia, the Kazakhs expected Daniyal Sabit to fight Nodirbek Mirzakhmedov in the final. But Danyal lost in the semifinals to the representative of the hosts Igor Tsaregorodtsev. Many say the victory was a gift to the Russian boxer. However, in the final Nodirbek defeated Igor with a big advantage. In Dubai, Nodirbek will defend his Asian championship title.

Olympic and world champion Shakhobiddin Zoirov is also the main contender for the Asian Championship among boxers weighing up to 52 kg. Saken Bibossinov, a representative of the new generation of the national team of Kazakhstan, is determined to put up enough resistance to Zoirov. These could have clashed at the 2019 World Championship. However, Saken lost to Amit Pangal of India in the semifinals. In the final, Zoirov outboxed Pangal to claim gold medal.

We can witness the competition of Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov and Sabyrkhan Makhmud in the weight category of 56 kg. Mirazizbek is a world champion in his weight class and a gold medalist at the last Asian championship as well as the Asian Games. He is missing only the Olympic gold medal.

In the 60 kg weight category, young talented boxer Abdumalik Khalakov might face more experienced Serik Temirzhanov. Temirzhanov replaces Zakir Safiullin, who has long been the leader in this weight category.

Zakir Safiullin, meanwhile, is up weights at 64 kilograms, and he could square off against Elnur Abduraimov in Dubai. These two boxers have clashed twice before. In 2014, an experienced Kazakh boxer defeated 19-year-old Elnur. At the Olympic qualifying tournament in Jordan in March last year, Abduraimov proved to be stronger than his opponent.

Boxers with many prizes in the 69-kilogram weight category are expected to clash. Bobousmon Boturov can compete with the winner of the Asian Games and Championship, Abilaikhan Zhussupov, who won two bronze medals at the world championships. These boxers had to fight each other in the final of the Stranja tournament in Bulgaria two years ago. However, the Kazakh boxer did not come to the ring.

In the 75 kg weight category, Fanat Kakhramanov was replaced by Saidjamshid Jafarov. In this weight class, the honor of Kazakhstan will be defended by the famous Abilkhan Amankul. Whether experience prevails or youthful enthusiasm shows it in the ring.

Kazakhstan's Bekzad Nurdauletov weighs in at 81 kilograms. The reigning world champion twice clashed with Dilshodbek Ruzmetov and won the fight. Kazakh boxer defeated Dilshod in the recent Governor's Cup in Russia. Maybe we will see a rematch in Dubai ...

It will not be easy for Sanjar Tursunov, who will take part in the Asian Championship in 91 kg. In the fight for the gold medal, Tursunov is waiting for the strongest boxer of Kazakhstan in recent years. Vasily Levit is a three-time Asian champion, Olympic finalist, and World Championship winner. Earlier, these boxers competed twice and the victory went to the Levit.

Fights in the super-heavyweight division are characterized by intensity. Bakhodir Jalolov will represent Uzbekistan at the Asian Championship. His arch-rival Kamshybek Kunkabayev is still a worthy opponent. These boxers’ fights are always sharp and uncompromising.

Bakhodir is the reigning World and Asian champion in his weight class. Kamshybek has won two silver medals at the World and Asian Championships. Since 2015, these boxers have clashed with each other five times, and in three of them Jalolov won. Bakhodir has not lost a single fight since August, 2017 when he was lastly defeated by Kamshybek.

In conclusion, the boxers of both countries are recognized as the strongest teams not only on the continent, but also in the world. So, we will soon know the results of the Asian Championship ...