Daniel Lewis dazzles in the Doha International Boxing Tournament

May 27th, 2015 / All

The Doha International Boxing Tournament was the biggest ever competition in the history of the Qatar Boxing Federation, and was used as a test event before the upcoming AIBA World Boxing Championships which will be held in October.

Athlete of the tournament

Australian National Champion Daniel Lewis has recently moved up to Middleweight (75 kg), and enjoyed a confident start to his new weight class in Doha.

The 22-year-old eliminated India’s AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Vikash Krishan Yadav, before meeting Iraq’s ASBC Asian Continental Championships bronze medallist Waheed Abderredha in the final.

Both boxers utilise a similar style, which meant their final was a very entertaining bout that delighted the watching fans.

As the endurance of Lewis was superior to his opponent, he was able to finish the fight strongly, and claimed a valuable victory in the best contest of the last competition day.

Team of the tournament

The Indian delegation achieved four gold medals in Doha, and topped the team rankings.

2014 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Laishram Devendro Singh defeated Philippines’ new hope Aldren Moreno at Light Flyweight (49 kg), while India’s second gold medal was achieved by London 2012 Olympian Shiva Thapa who beat Egypt’s Hesham Yehya Mahmoud Abdelaal in a close final at the Bantamweight class (56 kg).

Indian National Champion Manish Kaushik acquired their third gold after beating Morocco’s Hamza Rabii at Lightweight (60 kg), before Commonwealth Games winner Manoj Kumar triumphed over Philippines’ Nico Magliquian.

Surprise of the tournament

Tunisia’s Montassar Bouali is a strong boxer, but he did not have as much experience as his Flyweight (52 kg) final opponent Gaurav Bidhuri, who recently completed a stint in the World Series of Boxing.

Despite his underdog status, the Tunisian boxer demonstrated his power against Bidhuri, and his constant pressure resulted in a unanimous decision victory.

One to watch

Jordan’s Hussein Iashaish was a bronze medallist at the 2013 ASBC Asian Youth Continental Championships, and has since become a two-time National Champion.

The 20-year-old Super Heavyweight class (+91 kg) boxer dominated his final against Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Tharanga Bandara Rathnadiwake to display his undoubted potential.

Facts of the tournament

Twelve nations took part in the Doha International Boxing Tournament, where 71 boxers attended the test event.

Afghanistan, Australia, Egypt, India, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nepal, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Tunisia were the participating nations.

Quotes of the tournament

“We have put everything in place to ensure a wonderful and amazing tournament both in terms of the quality of organization, as well as the tournament itself. We believe that this test event will showcase our good hospitality which Qatar has come to be known for globally,” commented Mr. Youssef Salem Al-Kazim, the President of the Qatar Boxing Federation at the opening of the event.

“I want to thank my coaching crew and the federation for their support. The preparations reflected my matches as I was able to prove myself, and I was able to manage the pressure of fighting before the home crowd,” said Qatar’s promising boxer Yahya Saleh Al-Rafiq.

List of the winners in the Doha International Tournament