The Japanese boxing squad topped the team ranking at the 21st President's Cup in Jakarta, with Japanese athletes winning three gold, three silver and two bronze medals. This sets the team up well for the forthcoming Asian Men's Elite Championships, which will be held in Incheon, Korea next month.
Asian Youth Championships bronze medalist Naoya Inoue opened Japan's golden run when he triumphed over the Philippines' rising power Ian Clark Bautista by 23:10 in the light flyweight class final. Both boxers are still in the youth category because Inoue will be celebrating his 18th and Bautista his 17th birthday later this year.
Two-time Asian Games bronze medalist 27-year-old Katsuaki Susa is one of the best boxers in the country and was the biggest favourite in the flyweight division. Following his semi-final victory over Pakistan's Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Muhammad Waseem he won the gold medal after beating Kazakh National Championships bronze medalist Kanat Turganbayev on the final day of the event.
Four-time National Champion and two-time AIBA World Championships competitor 25-year-old Ryota Murata secured Japan's third gold medal in Jakarta. The extremely strong middleweight fighter from Saitama beat Turkmenistan's teenager Arslanbek Achilov in the third round when the referee stopped the contest.
AIBA Cadet World Championships bronze medalist 20-year-old Sung Dong Hyeon of Korea achieved the best result in his career in Jakarta when he claimed the bantamweight gold medal against the surprise boxer of the event, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Memorial Tournament bronze medalist Nguyen Van Hai of Vietnam.
The only Chinese men's gold medal went to newcomer Cen Yu, who defeated the Philippines' Southeast Asian Games winner 23-year-old favourite Charlie Suarez by a close 19:17 in the lightweight class, while Korea's Ju Min Jae and Kazakhstan's Yeldos Saidalin both took a bronze in Jakarta.
India's 19-year-old Santosh Kumar Virothu was involved in the national team just before the Asian Games last year when he collected an unexpected silver medal. The young Indian boxer won the light welterweight final in the Indonesian capital city after beating Russia's AIBA Junior World Championships quarter-finalist 18-year-old Aleksandr Malinin by a narrow 10:8.
Former Russian National Champion Aleksandr Klinkov confirmed that he was the most experienced boxer in the welterweight division in Jakarta. Klinkov secured the only Russian gold medal in Jakarta after beating Japanese National Championships silver medalist Yasuhiro Suzuki, who had moved up a weight class.
In the men's light heavyweight class Australia's biggest hope, Youth Olympic Games winner and AIBA Youth World Championships silver medalist Damien Hooper won another international tournament this year. The 19-year-old Australian was too strong for Turkmenistan's multiple National Champion Rasul Yuldashev, who secured his best career result with his silver medal in Jakarta.
In the women's light flyweight class AIBA Women's World Championships bronze medalist 24-year-old Josie Gabuco claimed the first Filippino gold medal after beating China's Gui Jingshan, while her compatriot Asian Women's Cup bronze medalist 19-year-old Nesthy Petecio also won her bantamweight class in Jakarta where she defeated Vietnam's young newcomer Le Thi Bang.
Chinese Open Tournament silver medalist Xu Shiqi won her first international tournament in Jakarta in the Olympic flyweight class where she had an unbelievably close contest against Japan's Asian Games bronze medalist Aya Shinmoto. Their bout finished 18:18 but the accepted scores favored the Chinese boxer.
In the second women's Olympic weight class at 60kg Turkish Prime Ministry Tournament gold medalist veteran Claire Ghabrial of Australia defeated Japan's 20-year-old Tomoko Kugimiya by 31:18. Vietnam's new women's boxing heroes AIBA Youth World Championships silver medalist Luu Thi Duyen and Asian Cup bronze medalist Le Thi Hien both won their non-Olympic weight classes.
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