ASBC Asian Under-22 and Youth Boxing Championships launched in grand style

The ASBC Asian Under-22 and Youth Boxing Championships 2025, organised by the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) in collaboration with the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) and the International Boxing Association (IBA), commenced in grand style at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo. The much-anticipated tournament made history by marking the return of elite Asian boxing to Sri Lanka after five decades.

For the opening ceremony, Interim President of the Asian Boxing Confederation, Aziz Kozhambetov; President of the Sri Lanka Boxing Association, Dr. Anuruddha Shanaka Bandara; Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs, Hon. Sunil Kumara Gamage; Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Eranga Gunasekara; and several other distinguished guests participated.

>>ASBC Asian Under 22 and Youth Boxing Championships in Sri Lanka<<

Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, French Polynesia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam are the 23 participating nations in this championship.

Indonesia’s Jeklin Ndawajepi faced Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Almuwallad in the U22 bantamweight (54kg) category, which served as the tournament opener. At the end of the match, the Saudi boxer emerged victorious over his Indonesian counterpart and advanced to the quarter-finals.

Kyrgyzstan’s talented boxer, Zafarbek Kamilov, confronted Kazakhstan’s promising youth player, Kenzhe Muratuly. Notably, both athletes had previously secured medals in earlier editions of the ASBC Asian Boxing Championships. In this preliminary round bout of the U22 bantamweight (54kg) category, a fierce contest unfolded as expected. Kamilov opted for long-distance punches—a tactic that paid off for the 19-year-old Kyrgyz boxer, as he outmuscled the Kazakh opponent in a hard-fought battle.

>>Sri Lanka’s young boxers begin a residential training camp<<

In the third match, Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Kaldybayev competed against Nepal’s ASBC Asian Youth contender, Chhiring Wangdi Sherpa, in the preliminary round of the men’s U22 lightweight (60kg) category. From the outset, the Nepali boxer delivered aimless, wild punches, while Kaldybayev responded with technically precise strikes that consistently found their target. The Kazakh boxer easily won the first round and concluded the bout after the third standing eight count.

Vietnam’s prominent ASBC medal-winning youth female boxer, Ngo Ngoc Linh Chi, faced the United Arab Emirates’ Jawaher Abdulla Al-Gharib. The Vietnamese athlete landed strong and heavy punches early in the first round, prompting a standing eight count and ending the contest within just two minutes.

In the women’s 52kg category, 2024 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships bronze medallist Yara Alamri of Saudi Arabia faced Kazakhstan’s Gulnar Turapbay. Despite her agility and skill, Alamri succumbed to the dominant performance of the Kazakh boxer, who shattered her hopes of winning another Asian medal.

In the final bout of the day, Vietnam’s Song Thi Kim Ngan took on Nepal’s Ghalan Roshni in the U22 flyweight (52kg) category. The Vietnamese boxer claimed a comprehensive victory through her swift and technically sound punches.