The first competition day 35th edition of the Boxam Tournament was held in Castellon de la Plana, Spain where the winners of the 18 bouts joined the quarter-finals. Denmark’s 19-year-old Nikolai Terteryan enjoyed the comeback to the boxing events when Kazakhstan and India both were perfect.
Altogether 127 boxers from 17 nations are participating in the Boxam Tournament representing four Confederations, the competition is held with strict Covid-19 policies.
Denmark’s Nikolai Terteryan returned to the international events after one year
Denmark sent three young boxers to the Boxam Tournament, and their lightweight (63kg) boxer Nikolai Terteryan impressed on the first day of competitions in Castellon de la Plana. The 19-year-old Danish talent competed last time at the European Boxing Qualifiers exactly one year ago and enjoyed his return to the international tournaments. He knocked down his Panamanian opponent, AIBA World Boxing Championships participant Jonathan Miniel in the second round which increased his confidence.
“We had many trainings and sparring sessions in Denmark but the real fight is different. For me it was a comeback to the ring after a long break. My opponent came from Panama and he had a very similar style of boxing as mine. I felt that I control the second round but my best one was the third,” said Terteryan after his bout.
His twin brother Sebastian Terteryan started well against Spain’s teenager Sergio Martinez but the local boxer was able to increase his rhythm in the second round in the welterweight (69kg). Martinez knocked down with a tough punch the Danish boxer and he has done enough to win that narrow fight on Day 1.
Kazakhstan won all three bouts on Day 1
Kazakhstan has done a perfect performance at the Asian & Oceanian Boxing Qualifying Event in Amman, Jordan one year ago when all of their eight male boxers qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. The head coach of the Kazakh national team Mr. Galymbek Kenzhebayev took five of them to the 35th Boxam Tournament which is their start of the preparation for the Games.
Two-time ASBC Asian Youth Champion Makhmud Sabyrkhan is one of the biggest talents of the flyweight (52kg) who dominated his first bout against Panama’s Martin Perez. In one of the most anticipated contests of the opening day of the Boxam tournament, Kazakhstan’s veteran Zakir Safiullin had to do his best against Morocco’s All Africa Games winner Abdelhaq Nadir but he managed to win that top contest of the lightweight (63kg) using his speed advantage.
Two-time AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Ablaikhan Zhussupov was the favorite against France’s 19-year-old Hugo Grau in the welterweight (69kg) but the Kazakh star met with strong resistance. Zhussupov had to increase his tempo to beat his challenger, the European Youth Boxing Championships bronze medallist.
India made a strong day in Spain
The Indian head coach Mr. Santiago Nieva also selected their best line-ups to the Boxam Tournament where two of their boxers opened their campaigns on Day 1. Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mohamed Hussamuddin had a 19-year-old Spanish opponent Joan Manuel Torres but the host nation’s athlete amazed with his footwork. Hussamuddin had to move closer to catch the taller rival but he has done a successful mission in the second and third rounds. AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Manish Kaushik dominated his opening lightweight (63kg) bout against an immature Spanish boxer, Raddouane Ammari Abdellaoui.
Today’s schedule
The second day of the Boxam Tournament, March 3rd, contains 20 bouts and all of them will be live-streamed here – Ring 1 and Ring 2.
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