SUDDEN RETURN: Jalolov makes a surprise reappearance at the Asian championships
Photo: ACTION IMAGES
MAJOR tournaments have been taking place overseas. The Asian Boxing Confederation championships finished on Friday (April 26) at the Huamark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. China topped the medal table, particularly due to the success of their women’s team which won six gold medals, including a championship victory for top middleweight Qian Li, as well as a further silver and one bronze medal. The Chinese male team won two bronze medals.
The next best team was Uzbekistan, who had four men’s gold medallists. Surprisingly their super-heavyweight, Bakhodir Jalolov entered this competition whilst pursuing a nascent career in professional boxing. For the last Olympic Games, AIBA changed the rules allowing pros to enter their amateur competitions. Jalolov has amassed a 6-0 pro record in America but still managed to do well in this competition. He outscored Kazakhstan’s Kamshybek Kunkabayev in the final in Thailand on a split decision.