Azeri, Kazakh and Turkish junior boxers dominated the 9th Heydar Aliyev Junior Cup which was held in Baku.
Eleven countries made appearances alongside their host Azerbaijan, including Georgia, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Scotland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, while Russia unexpectedly missed the competition.
Azerbaijan's European Schoolboys Championships silver medalist 15-year-old Elnur Shafizada defeated Kazakhstan's experienced Eurasian Junior Games winner Olzhas Kalaubek, who is one of the biggest gold medal contenders at the 46kg weight class in the forthcoming AIBA Junior World Championships. Despite this Shafizada took the gold medal after beating his Kazakh rival by 9:1.
Azerbaijan's European Schoolboys Championships bronze medalist 15-year-old Masud Yusifzada defeated previous champion Oleksandr Melenyuk of Ukraine 3:2 at the 48kg weight division final. India's Junior National Champion Pollupali Lalitha Prasad missed the medal in Baku.
India's 15-year-old Sub-Junior National Champion Naveen Kumar outscored Matin Ismailov of Azerbaijan at the 50kg final and secured India's only gold at the tournament.
Azerbaijan's Nadir Hakverdiyev eliminated Turkmenistan's 15-year-old Ikhtiyar Matsharipov by a close 3:2 during the preliminaries and also beat Ahmet Comert Junior Tournament winner Cengiz Onat of Turkey 1:0 in the semifinal.
Azerbaijan's Peyman Yusifli defeated Ireland's John Stokes by accepted scores at the bantamweight semifinal. He subsequently defeated Kazakh Junior National Championships bronze medalist Bekzhan Kibitkaliyev in the final.
At the 57kg weight class Turkey's Tekin Inak defeated Uzbekistan's Uman Liberation Junior Tournament winner Aliyar Noraliyev in the quarterfinal. Followed his victory over Noraliyev, Inak won the gold medal in Baku while 16-year-old Ahmet Comert Junior Tournament bronze medalist Shamurad Cherkezov of Turkmenistan missed the semifinal at the tournament.
Turkey's Ahmet Comert Junior Tournament gold medalist Mehmet Ates continued his winning series in Baku where his Georgian opponent Jemal Salamberidze ringside abandoned their lightweight final.
Kazakhstan's Junior National Championships silver medalist and Eurasian Junior Games winner 16-year-old Kayirgeldi Dauitbek defeated Hasan Ozan by 5:2 at the 63kg weight class final. The Kazakh boxer will be one of the gold medal contenders at the upcoming AIBA Junior World Championships.
Akylbek Adilgali was only a silver medalist at the annual Kazakh Junior National Championships in January but in Baku he defeated Ukraine's Uman Liberation Junior Tournament bronze medalist Ali Seitmemetov in the final and claimed the second gold for his country.
Ukraine's Uman Liberation Junior Tournament bronze medalist Ramil Akhmedov had a close final contest against Irakli Katamadze of Georgia at the 70kg weight division. Their bout finished 2:1 to Akhmedov. Katamadze will have the chance to face Akhmedov again in the European Junior Championships.
Ahmet Comert Junior Tournament quarterfinalist Omer Dincer secured Turkey's third gold medal in Baku. Uman Liberation Junior Tournament silver medalist Zaur Mutallimov acquired Ukraine's second gold after defeating Akbarjon Meliziyayev of Uzbekistan 6:4 at the heavyweight division.
At the thirteenth and final contest 16-year-old Junior National Champion Didar Tolegen defeated Azerbaijan's European Schoolboy Champion Muhamedali Tairov in the super heavyweight division.
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