Uzbekistan's six boxers win their preliminary contests at the Adriatic Pearl Youth Tournament

Uzbekistan won six contests in the first day of boxing while India’s Ankit Narwal also impressed in the preliminary round of the Adriatic Pearl Youth Tournament.

The Adriatic Pearl Youth Tournament is a preparation event for the upcoming AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships which will be held in Kielce, Poland on April 10-24. Boxers who were born in 2002 and in 2003 are able to attend in the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships therefore the local organizers in Budva decided to schedule the Adriatic Pearl Youth Tournament for the same age group.

The best Indian female and male boxers are there in the Adriatic Pearl Youth Tournament with great expectations. Head coach of the Uzbek team Mr. Hamid Tangribergenov selected eight women and fourteen youth male boxers following the training camps. Uzbekistan’s 22-strong team will be chasing for the medals and titles of the first edition of the Adriatic Pearl Youth Tournament in Budva. All of the selected youth boxers have got excellent boxing skills and several of them won ASBC Championships previously.  

Fayzullo Khudoberdiyev of Uzbekistan moved up to the bantamweight (56kg) and he impressed in the first contest of the whole competition against Moldova’s Daniil Slepoi who claimed bronze medal in the last EUBC European Youth Boxing Championships. The Uzbek talent controlled all of the three rounds and defeated his rival winning the bout by unanimous decision. The second Uzbek boxer of the weight category, Dilshod Abdumurodov outpointed Russia’s Aleksey Krivoruchko with strong performance.

India’s Ankit Narwal is one of their most experienced youth boxers who competed in the international stage already in 2017. The 18-year-old Indian light welterweight (64kg) boxer had to meet with a younger rival, Uzbekistan’s Lazizbek Fattoyev who won their last National Cup. Narwal found the best fighting distance already in the first round and he was able to win two out of the three rounds which decided their contest in Budva. The second Uzbek boxer of the category, Akhmadjon Akhmedov eliminated Georgia’s Luka Nikabadze in the next bout.

Uzbekistan’s ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships bronze medallist Alokhon Abdullaev is 17 now but he has strong experiences from several previous events and arrived to Budva with strong motivation. Abdullaev was in different level than Bosnia & Herzegovina’s Harun Bajgoric and his opponent’s ringside abandoned the unequal fight. Uzbekistan’s second welterweight (69kg) boxer Sirajatdin Khojakhmetov also defeated a European opponent, Georgia’s Giorgi Zhorzholiani. Uzbekistan’s Nurislom Ismoilov won the gold medal already at the Puerto Princesa 2017 ASBC Asian Junior Boxing Championships and he continued his strong series in several further international events. Ismoilov competed also at the 2020 Uzbekistan Elite National Championships therefore he was too experienced for India’s Vishal in the first preliminary round of the men’s middleweight (75kg).