Central Asian nations dominate Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championships in Dubai

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan bag 36 of the 51 golds on offer in Dubai

Uzbekistan's Zokirov Jakhongir, in red, fights Daniel Saparbay of Kazakhstan in the +92kg division at the 2021 ASBC Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championships in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan dominated the Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championships at the Le Meridien in Dubai.

The championship for the first time had a prize fund of $600,000 up for grabs in the youth and juniors, and the two Central Asian nations shared a big slice of that by racking up 36 golds from the available 51 in the two categories.

Kazakhstan won eight golds in the male and three in the female youth category while Uzbekistan bagged three in the male and five in the female.

The Uzbek juniors took six golds in the male and three in the female, while Kazakhstan four each in both the male and female.

Fifteen nations sent their boxers to the championships hosted by the UAE Boxing Federation.

“It was a difficult task to organise this championship due to the Covid restrictions but we are happy with the smooth running of this event,” Anas Al Otaiba, president of both the Asian and local federation, said.

“We considered that we should use this opportunity and give boxers the possibility to compete and practice in a very safe environment. The venue was at the same hotel where all the athletes lived.

“Everybody said that it was good competition and we hope everybody has gained something from this event.

“We see how AIBA supports these championships. They offered cash prizes for the medallists and this means a lot because it encourages the boxer to give their best on the ring. The bouts were very competitive and it was really hard to determine the winner sometimes.”

The 25 youth finals in 13 weight divisions took place on Sunday after the 26 junior finals on Saturday.

It was the very first time in the Asian boxing history, two age groups, the juniors and the youths, participated in one championship.

The 10-day championship drew 293 male and female pugilists, including 17 from the host nation.