Twice AIBA World Champion, 25-year-old Abbos Atoyev, will be Uzbekistan's flag bearer at the upcoming AIBA World Championships in Baku. He will have powerful opponents and will need all his skills to keep his title.
Atoyev competed at his first Asian Games in Guangzhou last year but unexpectedly he was outpointed by India's Vijender Singh in the middleweight final. The Uzbek star has not won any international tournament in 2011 but he is well known for being able to reach his best at the perfect moment...
The Central Asian country, one of the strongest in the world of boxing, secured four medals at the last edition of the Championships and was ranked third in the team's ranking in Milan. From that team from two years ago, Bakhodirjon Sultanov and Botirjon Mahmudov won't compete in Baku because Uzbekistan has boxers in a better shape at the moment.
AIBA World Championships silver medallist, 25-year-old Elshod Rasulov, kept his throne at the Asian Games last year but also had some unexpected defeats this year. Nevertheless, the Ferghana-based boxer will be one of Russia's Yegor Mekhontsev biggest rivals in the light heavyweight class.
The youngest member of the Uzbek team will be 18-year-old Shakhobiddin Zoirov who won several youth tournaments and secured silver at the Makar Mazay Memorial Tournament. The talented light flyweight eliminated reigning Asian Champion Shin Jong Hoon of Korea in July and might be able to cause some surprises in Baku.
Uzbekistan's flyweight No.1, Jasurbek Latipov, moved up a weight class since the 2010 Asian Games. The Gagik Tsarukyan Memorial Tournament silver medallist celebrated his 20th birthday this week and will fight for an Olympic quota in Baku.
AIBA President's Cup winner, Orzubek Shayimov, was the top favourite of the bantamweight class in Guangzhou but was defeated by China's Zhang Jiawei in the quarter-finals. Then he triumphed over former AIBA World Champion, Russian Sergey Vodopyanov, at the Governor's Cup in July.
Twice National Elite Champion, 20-year-old Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, is the new lightweight boxer in the Uzbek team. He got his ticket to Baku by beating his local rival, Beijing Olympian Hurshid Tojibayev in May.
Asian Champion, 22-year-old Sanjorbek Rahmonov, has the experience of the last edition of the AIBA World Championships where he lost to US boxer Frankie Gomez in the third preliminary round and finished 10th in the final ranking. The light welterweight boxer would be satisfied with the same result in Baku: it would mean for him a place at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Asian Championships bronze medallist, 20-year-old Nodirbek Kosimov, got his place in the national team from the Sydney Jackson Memorial Tournament where he eliminated his top rivals. The talented welterweight athlete even secured a bronze medal at the Asian Championships in Incheon last month.
Heavyweight's Chemistry Cup winner, 19-year-old Mirzokhidjon Abdullayev, have great rivals in Uzbekistan but he can finally compete for the Central Asians because of Rustam Tulaganov absence. Abdullayev is a great prospect and he has enough skills to beat the category's best boxers.
Former AIBA Junior World Championships silver medallist, AIBA President's Cup winner and World Series of Boxing athlete, 24-year-old Sardorbek Abdullayev, will fight for his second World Championships in the super heavyweight class in Baku.
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