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Philippines, 29 Nov 2024 |
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Asian Boxing Realities Post Pacquiao Part Two: The Emergence of Uzbekistan By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Thu, 11 Nov 2021  Uzbek Murodjon Akhmadaliev One development that bodes well for the future of Asian Boxing in international pro boxing is the emergence of Uzbekistan as a regional power as it translates its resounding success from the amateurs. After dominating the past Asian Amateur Championship and Asian Games Boxing competitions, Uzbekistan won the most gold medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics while ending among the top teams in the recent reset 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Many of its outstanding amateur champion boxers have also turned pro led by current unified WBA-IBF super bantamweight champion Murodjon MJ Akhmaladiev who is still unbeaten and has become world beater and champion in just so many pro fights. Akhmadaliev wrested the unified crown from American Danny Roman in action packed 12 round title bout in 2019 and has defended his straps by stopping Japanese ex titlist Kenji Iwasa some months ago. Such development has placed Uzbekistan in the position to not only rival but supplant boxers from traditional Asian pro boxing powers as Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and China particularly in the higher weight divisions. Already Uzbek fighters are making waves and drawing raves in the US boxing circuit as they show prodigious blend of talent, skills and power in demolishing their rivals. While Japanese, Filipino and Thai fighters scintillate in the lower divisions, Uzbek fighters are impressing both fans and experts in the higher weight classes, threatening to supplant the lone Japanese up there, WBA middleweight titlist Ryota Murata who is on tenuous position as he is ranged next against the still feared Gennady Golovkin in title unification. Indeed, with Manny Pacquiao already out of the scene and the Chinese largely under-performing, the vista is wide open for Uzbek fighters to lead the new Asian charge in the more glamorous and high profile not to mention money-rich upper weight classes. Aside from MJ Akhmadaliev, Uzbekistan also boasts of the potent and potentials rich foursome of heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov, super welterweight Israil Madrimov and the super lightweight duo of Shakram Giyasov and Shohjahon Ergashev. Bakhodir Jalolov (born 8 July 1994) won a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships 2015 and gold at the 2019 World Championships and the reset 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics at super heavyweight He also competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and acted as Uzbekistan's flag bearer at both games. He now resides in California, U.S. Jalolov turned pro fighting as heavyweight in 2018 and has an unblemished record of 8 wins, all by KO. Standing at 6-7 as long in wingspan and weighing about 270 lbs, Jalolov figures to be in the heavyweight mix in the next two years as he ably handled in training by famed trainer Joel Diaz. Israil Madrimov had 100 bouts as amateur fighter representing Uzbekistan as welterweight where he won the silver in the 2014 Asian Games and the gold in the middleweight at the 2018 edition, going 2-1 in three meetings with Eumir Felix Marcial of the Philippines. He turned pro in 2018 as super welterweight and now totes an unbeaten 7-0 record, 5 by KOs. Now based in Indio, California, he won the WBC International super welterweight title by halting Alejandro Barrera. Standing at 5-8 with a long reach, Madrimov is rated by most world boxing sanctioning bodies and often compared to Golovkin. He is ready for a world title crack by as early as next year. Shohjahon Ergashev was born on December 12, 1991 in Fergana, Uzbekistan. He was representing Uzbekistan in the amateurs when his coach saw excellent results and talent in him and decided to check in professional boxing in 2015. Standing at nearly 5-11 with as long a reach, Ergashev has an excellent record as light welterweight and welterweight initially in Russia and later in the US where is now permanently based, winning 18 pro bouts, all but two by KO. He is currently the WBC International super lightweight champion and is highly rated by most boxing bodies as contract fighter of the Floyd Mayweather Promotion. He holds a win over the highly touted Mykal Fox. Shakhram Giyasov was born 7 July 1993 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan and as an amateur he won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and later the gold in the 2017 World Championships and 2017 Asian Games as a welterweight. At 5-9 with long reach, Giyasov turned pro as light welterweight in 2018 and has compiled 11 wins, 9 by KOs. Now living in New York City, alias Wonder Boy, won the WBA international super lightweight crown in 2019 by outpointing former world title challenger Emmanuel Taylor and defended it by knockout over Darley Perez, Winston Campos and Fernando Moreno. He forms part of Uzbekistan's 1-2-3 punch at super lightweight with Ergashev and Fizladdin Gaibnazarov. "Uzbeks have fighting in their blood. In the end, we are descendants of Amir Timur, the 14th Century conqueror known in the West as Tamerlane. We have strong history of boxing in Uzbekistan," Gaibnazarov, the 2016 Olympics super lightweight gold winner was quoted as saying. These are just four or five of Uzbekistan's top world class fighters and there's a lot more including the once beaten Bektemir aka Bully Bek Melikuziev at super middleweight and former World and Olympics champions Hassan Dusmatov and Shakhobidin Zoirov in the lighter weights. The Sons of Tamerlane are indeed coming to conquer Asian and the US rings if is in their stars, even the world stage. The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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