Kyrgyzstan’s Olympic Games silver medallist Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu returned to the events with a superb success at the 34th edition of the Ahmet Comert Bosphorus International Boxing Tournament in Istanbul on Day1.
Such great boxing nations as Australia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan are competing at the Ahmet Comert with strong boxers.
The city of Istanbul will be the host of the next edition of the European Games on June 16-27 in 2027.
The bout of the day
Ireland’s Eoghan Quinn started the first round better than Australia’s Paul Trainor and she had the advantages on the judges’ scorecards after three minutes. The Aussie boxer used his distance better in the second therefore the final verdict was depended on their performance in the last period. The taller Australian kept the Irish opponent on long in the third round and he secured his place in the last eight at the 80kg.
The surprise of the day
Turkey’s Seyma Duztas achieved a bronze medal at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool and she was one of the highest hopes of their female team in Istanbul. The Turkish boxer faced Uzbekistan’s Asian Youth Champion Sobirakhon Shakhobiddinova in the quarter-finals of the women’s +80kg. The Uzbek teenager is a newcomer among the elites but her pressure paid off today and she eliminate a Turkish favourite in Istanbul.
The Round-up
Germany’s Jule Woche had some difficulties in the first round against Uzbekistan’s Odinakhon Ismoilova but she looked better and stronger every minutes. Woche, who competed at the Golden Girl in Sweden and the Riga Ladies Boxing Cup in Latvia this year, turned back their 65kg contest with great finish. Her second opponent in the quarter-finals will be Turkey’s Sila Bicil who reached the Top8 at the 2022 European Youth Championships.
Kyrgyzstan arrived to the Ahmet Comert Tournament with their top team while their second line-ups with the younger hopes are participating in the current Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar. Their historic World medallist and Asian U22 Champion Omar Livaza was too smart for Georgia’s Mamuka Jibuti and the 21-year-old Kyrgyz will now meet Turkey’s Mustafa Colak in the quarter-finals of the 65kg.
Kazakhstan’s Nurkanat Raiys was a quarter-finalist at the 2021 World Boxing Championships in Belgrade but due to the Olympic possibility, he moved up to the 80kg this year. The 26-year-old Kazakh adopted the level of his new weight class and he dominated the first and second rounds against Moldova’s Valeriu Razmerita. Raiys saved some fuels for the later actions in the third round but he had the clear success in this preliminary bout.
The European U22 Championships bronze medallist Delil Dadaev of Germany has just recently won the Montenegro Elite Cup earlier this month. The strong German had a close first round against Turkey’s Mert Aybuga in their 80kg meeting but the local opponent stepped into the gas in the second. Despite Dadaev’s efforts in the third round, the Turkish boxer advanced to the quarter-finals of the Ahmet Comert Tournament.
Turkey’s Nurullah Oyan had a big scalp at the 50kg quarter-final in Istanbul where he defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Strandja Memorial Tournament winner Anvarzhan Khodzhiyev. The next Turkish talent, Semih Gumus prepared well to this event and controlled all of the three rounds against Kazakhstan’s Nurlybek Amanat at the 55kg.
Georgia has excellent boxers in the smallest male age group and their Lasha Kereselidze had energetic attacks in the first round against Azerbaijan’s Ujal Musayev. The smaller Georgian caught the Azeri boxer in the second round as well and despite Musayev’s great efforts in the third, Kereselidze managed to win this 50kg quarter-final bout by 3:2 split decision.
Ukraine’s Yelmir Nabiyev had a tight success over Australia’s Jesse Wicks in the quarter-finals of the 55kg which was another spectacular battle in the opening day of boxing. The next Aussie boxer, the Brandenburg Youth Cup silver medallist Taj Harrington worked better in the next bout but he lost to Turkey’s Nihat Adiyan by split decision in the battle of the southpaw athletes.
Kyrgyzstan’s Zafarbek Kamilov joined the international stage of boxing in 2021 when he was only 15-year-old. The Asian Youth silver medallist controlled the first round against Turkey’s Baran Kirkgozler and he had the advantage on the judges’ scorecards. Kamilov landed his punched with perfect timing and due to his dominance in the second round, he won this 55kg battle by unanimous decision.
Uzbekistan’s Robiyakhon Bakhtiyorova claimed a silver medal at the Asian U23 Boxing Championships last summer and she moved back to the 48kg this year. The Uzbek talent had the impressive footwork to stop Turkey’s Aleyna Demirkir with body shots in the first round and she controlled also the second. The local girl found her best rhythm only in the third round too late to turn back their quarter-final bout in Istanbul.
Kyrgyzstan’s first Olympic medallist in boxing, the runner-up from Paris, Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu returned to the international stage in this Ahmet Comert Tournament. The experienced Kyrgyz has been preparing for the Asian Games and he had the perfect counter-attacks in his opener against Uzbekistan’s Tilav Suponov. Seiitbek Uulu dominated the exchanges in all of the three rounds and he started his campaign with a unanimous points decision triumph.