The Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament re-launched by the Uzbekistan Boxing Federation and will be held in 2021

The First Vice-President of the Uzbekistan Boxing Federation and ASBC Executive Committee member Mr. Saken Polatov approved to re-launch the Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament.

The Asian & Oceanian Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event was held in Amman, Jordan where Uzbekistan earned seven quota places. Six of their tough males and one of their talented girl qualified for the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.

Sidney Jackson was one of the pioneers to launch boxing in Uzbekistan where the US coach worked and lived in the first part of the 20^th century. The tournament will be holding for the memory of Uzbekistan’s honoured coach Mr. Sidney Jackson who made great contribution to the development of Uzbekistan’s boxing life. He was the pioneer coach in and trained the first generation of Uzbek boxers in 1920’s and later.

The event will be held in the year of 2021 while its exact date to be decided following the period of the Olympic Qualifications are known. Uzbekistan Boxing Federation is planning to invite all of the top nations worldwide to the Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament therefore the event could be one of the highlights in 2021. The new edition of the Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament could be an “A” class competition in Tashkent.

The Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament was launched in the ‘60s more than 50 years ago and supported the development of the Uzbek boxers during the period of the Soviet Union. Altogether 48 editions of Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament were held until the last competition in 2014. Among Uzbekistan’s stars Alisher Riskiyev won the Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament in 1975, while Rufat Riskiyev and Vladimir Shin also claimed gold medals in the era of the Soviet Union.

Following the independence of the country, Sydney 2000 Olympic Games winner Makhammatkodir Abdullaev, two-time AIBA World Champion Abbos Atoev, two-time Asian Games winner Elshod Rasulov and Bakhodirjon Sultanov also won the titles of the Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament. Among their Rio 2016 Olympic Champions Fazliddin Gaibnazarov and Hasanboy Dusmatov claimed gold in the event.

The last edition of the Sidney Jackson Memorial Tournament was held in 2014 when such stars as Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Kyrgyzstan’s Azat Usenaliev, Uzbekistan’s Elnur Abduraimov and Uzbekistan’s Rustam Tulaganov won their weight classes. Kazakhstan’s AIBA World Boxing Championships silver medallist and London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist Ivan Dychko won the gold medal at the super heavyweight (+91kg) in 2014.

ASBCNews.org