Kamilov, Sabyrkhan and Esmaeili were the heroes of the men’s youth semi-finals in Astana

Zafarbek Kamilov, Torekhan Sabyrkhan and Amir Esmaeili Vandaei were the heroes of the men’s youth semi-finals at the ASBC Asian U22 & Youth Boxing Championships in Astana today.

Tajikistan’s Muinkhodzha Muminov and Philippines’ Robert Malunoc Jr. both won two contests in the previous rounds of the youth minimumweight (48kg). The Filipino used the same strategy as in his previous contests but Muminov’s pressure controlled their exchanges in the rounds.

Kyrgyzstan’s Zafarbek Kamilov eliminated two fantastic rivals and he was more focused in the first round than in the quarter-finals today. The 18-year-old promising Kyrgyz caught the Mongolia’s Tugsbileg Enkhtur with heavy shots in the first round and he took the lead on the judges’ scorecards. Kamilov was in different level as his Mongolian rival today and he won the semi-final by referee stopped the contest in the third round.

Kyrgyzstan’s Junior World Champion Amantur Dzhumayev ruled the middle of the ring against Iran’s Amirreza Soltani who used long distance today. The Kyrgyz bantamweight (54kg) boxer earned several historic junior results in 2023 and he began the second round in a higher tempo effectively.

Kazakhstan’s three-time Asian Champion Torekhan Sabyrkhan is a fantastic talent in our sport but his defensive skills were not the best in the first round of his semi-final against India’s Sumit. The Kazakh was more focused in the second round in the exchanges and he had the advantage on the judges’ scorecards. Sabyrkhan used his tricky style of boxing in the second and third rounds to eliminate his Indian opponent and he continued the Kazakh traditions at the welterweight (67kg).

Iran’s Amir Esmaeili is their top youth talent who demonstrated his power once again in Astana where he knocked out India’s Lakshay Rathi in the first round of their super heavyweight (+92kg) contest. The Iranian will now meet for the title Uzbekistan’s Shakhzod Polvonov who had a strong comeback against Kazakhstan’s Nurkeldi Zhumatay.