June 2021 Men’s Amateur Boxing International Rankings
Photo courtesy of AIBA Boxing
It’s been a pretty hectic two months in the amateur boxing world, and with the Asian Championships and European Olympic qualifiers now concluded the next stop is Tokyo. We’ve seen some great fights, some big upsets and plenty of changes to the rankings in May/June, so this article will be a lot more extensive than usual. Given that there’s so much going on, I’ve decided to skip a rankings piece for May and include all of the results from that month here.
As a side note, USA Boxing announced last month that they would be changing their policy regarding allowing pro’s to compete at the Olympics, which paved the way for Duke Ragan (57kg), Keyshawn Davies (63kg) and Troy Isley (75kg) to return to the National team for Tokyo. This is a pretty big fuck you to guys like Bruce Carrington and Charlie Sheehy, who went through qualification tournaments and have now had their Olympic dream snatched away from them, but it does mean that the U.S. will field a more competitive team with a better chance of bagging some medals.
Additionally, eagle-eyed readers will also note that on my pound-for-pound list I’ve included a fighter who competes at light-flyweight (49kg) - a weight I don’t publish rankings for. The reason for this is that 49kg itself is very thin, with a lot of guys opting to compete at the Olympic weight of 52kg instead, but I felt it was appropriate to include this fighter in particular given his impressive achievements in that division.
With that out of the way, let’s get down to business as we go on a rundown of everything that’s new in amateur boxing.
52kg (Flyweight)
52kg continues to be a headache to rank, with the top spots changing hands pretty much every month. Whilst reigning Olympic and world champion #2 Shakhobidin Zoirov (UZB) took flyweight gold at the Asian Championships in Dubai, beating #12 Azat Usenaliev (KGZ) along the way, I had him clearly losing the final to Amit Panghal (IND) who landed the cleaner, more eye-catching shots throughout. On the back of a deserved win against Zoirov and victory over #9 Saken Bibossinov (KAZ) in the semi-finals, Amit gets bumped up to #1.
2019 World Championship bronze-medallist Billal Bennama (FRA) also climbs to #3 in the rankings, having triumphed in the European Olympic qualifying tournament. In the semi’s, the Frenchman took an impressive unanimous decision over reigning European champion #6 Gabriel Escobar (ESP), before meeting Galal Yafai (GBR) in the final. Unfortunately, a thrilling and competitive fight was marred by a bullshit ending, as a clash of heads opened up a cut on Bennama which meant he couldn’t continue. Despite being clearly accidental, the referee ruled that the cut was caused by an intentional head-butt which resulted in Yafai being disqualified. Although I thought Bennama was beginning to take control of the bout, Yafai’s strong display notches him up a few places to #10.
Mironshokh Ibragimov (UZB) makes his debut at #13, having scored a stunning first round KO of reigning Pan-American Games champion Rodrigo Marte (DMA) in the Konstantin Korotkov Memorial final. #17 Brendan Irvine (IRE) and #16 Enkhmadakh Kharkhuu (MGL) also enter the rankings for the first time, having enjoyed solid runs at their respective continental tournaments.
57kg (Featherweight)
To avoid any confusion, whilst 57kg itself is an Olympic weight, for many tournaments the division is carved up into two separate weight classes - 56kg and 60kg - so the results from both will be discussed here and factored into the rankings.
Reigning featherweight world champion Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov (UZB) seemed to be cruising towards the 56kg Asian Championship title in Dubai, until he was upset in the final by Enkh-Amar Kharkhuu (MGL) via split-decision in what was a brilliant, hard fought contest. Although I scored it for Mirzakhalilov, the fight was close enough that I’ll respect the judges’ verdict here and give full credit to Kharkhuu. With the win, the previously unranked Mongolian leaps up to #2 at 57kg, whilst Mirzakhalilov drops down from the top spot to #3. I don’t really think that Kharkhuu is elite per se, more that he’s always going to give Mirzakhalilov a tough night’s work with their styles, but a win over the division’s world champion can’t be ignored nevertheless.
There was joy for Mongolia at 60kg as well, with Erdenebat Tsendbaatar (MGL) rising to #4 courtesy of a 3:2 split-decision win over #6 Abdumalik Khalakov (UZB) in the Asian Championship semi-finals. This was another one that could’ve gone either way, although I had Tsendbaatar just edging it. In the final, Tsendbaatar saw off 21 year-old Daniyal Shahbaksh (IRI) by unanimous decision, with Shahbaksh debuting in the rankings at #20 having beaten Serik Temirzhanov (KAZ) in the preliminary round.
Given that the European Olympic qualifiers was run by the IOC rather than AIBA, 57kg wasn’t divided up into two separate divisions for this tournament. 23 year-old Albert Batyrgaziev (RUS) came out on top in Paris, earning a number of strong wins along the way to seize the #1 spot following Mirzakhalilov’s slip-up. In the quarters, Batyrgaziev beat a game #12 Hamsat Shadalov (GER) by split-decision before putting in a dominant performance against three-time European silver medallist Mykola Butsenko (UKR), who drops to #14. He met Samuel Kistohurry (FRA) in the final, with the Frenchman having enjoyed a strong tournament himself which saw him jump to #7 in the rankings. Batyrgaziev proved a class above, however, with his volume preventing Kistohurry from ever really getting into the fight. Given the depth of his résumé, I have no problem with putting the Russian at the top of the featherweight pack.
There was disappointment for World Championship bronze-medallist Pete McGrail (GBR) however, as he suffered an early exit at the hands of Roland Galos (HUN) in the quarter-finals. I’ve rewatched it a few times and can’t see a win for Galos really, which is why he’s below McGrail at #13, but I also thought the Brit was poor and not nearly as sharp as usual. Given the lacklustre performance, McGrail falls to #9 in the rankings.
Finally, the U-turn made by USA Boxing means that 2017 World Championship silver-medallist Duke Ragan (USA) will be competing in Tokyo, despite turning pro after falling short against Bruce Carrington (USA) at the Olympic Box-Offs. Whilst the American dropped off in form for the last couple of years - hence his absence from the top 20 - he’s undeniably talented and head coach Billy Walsh will be banking on Ragan rediscovering his A-game in time for the Olympics.
63kg (Light-welterweight)
Since I last updated the rankings, 63kg has gone from being pretty shit to one of the hottest divisions in amateur boxing. That’s largely down to the return of 2019 World Championship silver-medallist Keyshawn Davis (USA) and reigning European champion Hovhannes Bachkov (ARM) to the mix, with both presenting a much-needed challenge for #1 Andy Cruz (CUB). Despite a lack of activity, I’ve opted to put Davis at #2 as his clinic against #4 Sofiane Oumiha (FRA) back in 2019 remains one of the best wins in the division, and the American is still Cruz’s biggest threat in Tokyo for my money. Whilst Bachkov crashed out of the European Olympic Qualifiers this month after suffering a first round stoppage loss to #7 Gabil Mamedov (RUS), the circumstances surrounding his exit were controversial. The Armenian suffered a cut that meant he could no longer continue, and whilst the injury was clearly caused by a clash of heads the referee ruled that it was the result of a legal punch from Mamedov. For what it’s worth, I had Bachkov on top at the time of the stoppage and won’t knock him (nor credit Mamedov) for the result. Given his impressive résumé, which includes a win over Oumiha as well as a narrow split-decision loss to Davis, Bachkov comes in at #3.
At the Asian Championships, Baatarsukh Chinzorig (MGL) triumphed over #13 Zakir Safiullin (KAZ) and #14 Elnur Abduraimov (UZB) on his way to the 63kg final, where he faced #20 Shiva Thapa (IND). Thapa himself came into the bout after taking a solid win against 2017 Asian champion Bakhodur Usmonov (TJK), which saw him enter the rankings for the first time. Although Chinzorig only won by split-decision, I didn’t think it was all that close and the Mongolian jumps to #8 on the merit of his performances across the tournament.
Over in Paris, #4 Sofiane Oumiha (FRA) triumphed over the underrated #12 Alexandru Paraschiv (MDA) before running into Luke McCormack (GBR) in the semi-finals. McCormack was full of confidence after claiming a solid win over Enrico La Cruz (NDL) in the previous round, and gave Oumiha all he could handle in a close, competitive fight. Oumiha ended up coming away with the decision, but McCormack raised his stock in defeat (I scored it for the Brit myself) and he surges up the rankings to #9. On the other side of the bracket, #5 Dzmitry Asanau (BLR) cruised to victory over Damian Durkacz (POL) whilst #7 Gabil Mamedov (RUS) beat #18 Yaroslavl Khartsyz (UKR) to set up a semi-final clash between the pair. Asanau came away the winner, beating Mamedov by split-decision to add another quality scalp to his résumé. Unfortunately, Asanau’s hand injuries flared up before he could square off against Oumiha in the final and he was forced to withdraw.
Calum French (GBR) also sneaks into the rankings at #19, with a pair of wins over Lounes Hamraoui (FRA) and Enrico La Cruz (NDL) at the Konstantin Korotkov Memorial in Russia.
69kg (Welterweight)
We have a new #1 at 69kg, as Pat McCormack (GBR) rockets back up to the top of the rankings following a brilliant win over reigning world champion Andrey Zamkovoy (RUS) in the European Olympic qualifying final. I’ve decided to give the Brit the nod over #2 Aslanbek Shymbergenov (KAZ), as whilst the latter has done more recently he did lose to #8 Ablaikhan Zhussupov (KAZ) back in November at the Kazakhstan national championships. Furthermore, McCormack has the deeper body of work overall which gives him an edge. Despite producing some eye-catching performances in Paris, including a huge first round KO of Dionysos Pefanis (GRE) and a dominant display against Necat Ekinci (TUR), Zamkovoy slips to #3 in the table after suffering his second loss in the past two months.
June also saw the introduction of two new additions to the rankings in the form of Aidan Walsh (IRE) and Lorenzo Sotomayor (AZE), both of whom enjoyed deep runs at the European Olympic qualifiers. Walsh staked his place at #9 with hard-fought wins over Yevhenii Barabanov (UKR) - who drops to #15 - and Wahid Hambli (FRA), with defeat seeing the Frenchman plummet five spots to #20. Cuban-born Sotomayor finds himself at #10, having taken a wide decision over #14 Aliaksandr Radzionau (BLR). Despite losing to Sotomayor, Radzionau actually moved up three places courtesy of wins over Nerat Ekinci (TUR) and #17 Darkhan Duisebay (KAZ).
Whilst the Asian Championships promised to bring some clarity to the 69kg rankings with a number of matchups between the division’s elite, things didn’t quite pan out as expected. #5 Bobo-Usmon Baturov (UZB) faced #6 Vikas Krishan (IND) in the semi-finals, but their bout was short-lived after an accidental clash of heads reopened a cut under Krishan’s eyebrow which meant he could no longer continue. Baturov edged a majority decision on the cards, but the fight didn’t go on long enough to tell us anything and it doesn’t impact the rankings as a result. The final, between Baturov and #8 Ablaikhan Zhussupov (KAZ), went pretty much the same way - halfway through the opening round, a head clash caused a gash above Zhussupov’s eye, which ended in the fight being stopped before it could really catch fire. I thought Zhussupov was unlucky not to get the win as he landed the cleaner work before the stoppage, but given how short the fight was there can’t be too many complaints. It’s another disappointing end to what was shaping up to be an intriguing fight, and I can’t put much stock into either of Baturov’s wins here.
75kg (Middleweight)
2017 world champion Oleksandr Khyzhniak (UKR) cemented his status as the #1 at 75kg with a dominant showing at the European Olympic qualifiers, capped off with a brilliant win over reigning world champion Gleb Bakshi (RUS) in the final. The Ukrainian was simply too strong for his rival, setting a relentless pace that never let up, and whilst Bakshi had spots of success in the pocket the Russian couldn’t live with Khyzhniak’s volume. Despite the loss, Bakshi holds onto the #4 spot due to events elsewhere (which we’ll see in a moment) but there’s zero doubt as to who the best middleweight in the world is right now.
The qualifiers in Paris also saw Arman Darchinyan (ARM) fall three places to #18, as despite getting the verdict against previously unranked Giorgi Kharabadze (GEO) I thought the Armenian clearly lost the fight. Lewis Richardson (GBR) slots in at #17, having produced a spirited performance in a unanimous decision loss to Khyzhniak.
Over in Dubai, we saw the emergence of a new contender at middleweight in the form of Saidjamshid Jafarov (UZB). The 22 year-old Uzbek, who sadly won’t be representing his country in Tokyo next month, outpointed World Championship silver-medallist Eumir Marcial (PHL) in the semi-finals of the Asian Championships to set up a showdown with Abilkhan Amankul (KAZ). Whilst the win over Marcial was fully deserved, Jafarov benefitted from some poor judging in the final as he nicked a split-decision to become champion. Amankul wasn’t at his best admittedly, but the Kazakh clearly did enough to earn the victory and even scored a standing eight count in the second round. I’ve treated this as a win for Amankul, which sees him move up to #2, whilst Jafarov debuts at #3. Considering how thoroughly he was beaten, Marcial slides down to #5.
I haven’t discussed the European U-22 Championships so far, mainly because the tournament didn’t have too much bearing on the rankings, but one result that’s worth noting at 75kg is Nikita Voronov (RUS) comfortably beating Kevin Schumann (GER) in the middleweight final. As a result Voronov climbs to #7, and Schumann tumbles out of the top 10 to land at #11.
81kg (Light-heavyweight)
81kg provided us with the biggest upset of the year so far, as previously unheralded Meysam Gheshlaghi (IRI) outmuscled reigning world champion Bekzad Nurdauletov (KAZ) to claim a shock win at the Asian Championships. I decided to keep Nurdauletov in the top spot back in March despite a narrow defeat at the hands of Simone Fiori (ITA), and given the Kazakh’s outstanding run at the Governor Cup a month later that decision looked fully justified. But a clear loss to Gheshlaghi here leaves me with no choice, and Nurdauletov falls to #3. World Championship silver-medallist Dilshodbek Ruzmetov (UZB) made sure to capitalise on his rival’s misstep by taking a close decision over Gheshlaghi in the final, and given that the Uzbek beat the man who beat the man he becomes the new #1 at light-heavyweight. Gheshlaghi caps off a remarkable tournament with a well-earned spot at #2, and given his fan-friendly style he’s definitely one to keep an eye out for.
At the European Olympic qualifiers, Imam Khataev (RUS) beat #7 Simone Fiori (ITA) before losing to reigning European champion Alfonso Dominguez (AZE) in the quarter-finals, with the Cuban-born Dominguez returning to the rankings at #4 as Khataev slipped to #6. World Championship bronze-medallist Benjamin Whittaker (GBR) had a mixed tournament overall, having been run close by #18 Andrei Aradoaie (ROM) before receiving some help from the judges in his semi-final against Luka Plantic (CRO). I had the Croatian winning, which explains why he rockets up to #5 in the rankings as Whittaker stumbles to #8, and although Plantic isn’t a bad fighter Whittaker didn’t look near his best. The Brit will need to be much better if he’s to challenge for a medal in Tokyo.
91kg (Heavyweight)
Since his World Championship triumph in 2019, #1 Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) has been the best heavyweight in the world but lacked a signature win on his résumé. That changed at the European Olympic qualifiers, as the Russian edged out #2 Emmanuel Reyes (ESP) in a cagey, tactical chess-match to underline why he holds the top spot at 91kg. We also saw Amaar Abduljabbar (DEU) break into the top 5 for the first time in Paris, having beaten Uladzislau Smiahlikau (BLR) to take the #4 spot from the Belarusian, as well as Cheavon Clarke (GBR) entering the rankings following a razor-thin decision over #9 Narek Manasyan (ARM). Radoslav Pantaleev (BUL), who isn’t nearly as good as his ranking suggests, drops to #12 after unravelling against Cuban-born Reyes in a disqualification loss.
In one of the most egregious robberies in recent memory, #7 Vassiliy Levit (KAZ) had gold snatched away from him yet again as he lost to Sanjeet (IND) in the Asian Championship final. Just a terrible look and you’ve got to feel for Levit, who’s been screwed over countless times by incompetent / corrupt judging throughout his career. The Kazakh veteran should be remembered as one of the finest boxers of his generation, and I hope history is kind to him because amateur boxing certainly hasn’t been. It goes without saying that I haven’t penalised Levit here, and whilst Sanjeet gets no credit for this ‘win’ he does make the list at #19 after a deserved victory over Sanjar Tursunov (UZB).
It’s been a pretty bad few months for Wilfried Florentin (FRA), with the Frenchman nosediving to #20 following a lopsided loss to Gadzhimagomedov as well as a surprise defeat to Artyom Yordanyan (GEO) at the European U-22 Championships. Whilst Yordanyan cracks the rankings at #18, the Georgian fell short in the final to Vladimir Uzunian (RUS) who announces himself at #16.
91+kg (Super-heavyweight)
#1 Bakhodir Jalolov (UZB) continues to prove that he’s in a league of his own at super-heavyweight after beating #2 Kamshybek Kunkabayev (KAZ) in the Asian Championship final, although I was a little disappointed with Jalolov’s performance. The Uzbek looked sharp in the opening round, but seemed content to coast for the rest of the fight which allowed Kunkabayev back into it. That being said, Jalolov was never in any real trouble and it’s difficult to see who can stop him from claiming gold in Tokyo.
Moving our focus back over to Paris, #10 Tsotne Rogava (UKR) notched an impressive win over #18 Nelvie Tiafack (DEU) before being upset by Mahammad Abdullayev (AZE), with the Azeri returning to the rankings at #9. Ivan Veryasov (RUS) also cracks the top 20 for the first time at #14 after beating Petar Belberov (BUL) and #17 Gurgen Hovhannisyan, but the biggest winner this month was Mourad Aliev (FRA), who scored a stunning KO of Morten Givskov (DEN) before easing past Giorgi Chigladze (GEO) to set up a clash with Frazer Clarke (GBR) in the final. Clarke came into the bout full of confidence after bagging two fine wins over Marko Milun (CRO) and #19 Berat Acar (TUR), however Aliev was too good as his sharp counter-punching proved the difference between the two. The Frenchman storms to #3 in the rankings as a result, with Clarke trailing behind at #4.
Last week we learned that #12 Justis Huni (AUS) has withdrawn from the Olympics after undergoing surgery on his hand, which is a real blow to the tournament. Huni’s combination of blistering speed and power made him one of the genuine threats to Jalolov in Tokyo, and here’s to hoping he makes a full recovery. Whilst I doubt we’ll see the 22 year-old Aussie return to the amateurs as his pro career continues to blossom, I’ve decided to keep him in the rankings until the end of this month.
Pound-for-pound
Oleksandr Khyzhniak (UKR) leapfrogs Andy Cruz (CUB) into the P4P #1 spot courtesy of his win over Gleb Bakshi (RUS), whilst light-heavyweight world champion Bekzad Nurdauletov (KAZ) crashes out of the rankings after being upset in Dubai. Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) fills in the vacancy at #3, with Bakhodir Jalolov (UZB) coming in at #4 and flyweight pair #5 Amit Panghal (IND) and #6 Shakhobidin Zoirov (UZB) just behind. Albert Batyrgaziev (RUS) continues to add depth wins to an already-impressive résumé as he rises to #7, whilst Nodirjon Mirzakhmedov - who has all but cleared out the 49kg division following his victory over Daniyal Sabit (KAZ) in the Asian Championship final - climbs to #8. It’s difficult to see the Uzbek placing much higher, however, without venturing north to 52kg. #9 Pat McCormack (GBR) and #10 Aslanbek Shymbergenov (KAZ) round off our P4P list, both by virtue of their wins over welterweight world champion Andrey Zamkovoy (RUS).