Thirteen preliminary contests were held on the second competition day of the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, where the winners of the Light Flyweight (49 kg) and Bantamweight (56 kg) matches advanced to the next stage of the championships.

Bout of the day

Philippines’ Mario Fernandez won gold at the Southeast Asian Games two months ago, and started his quest for glory in Bangkok with a brilliant Bantamweight triumph over Iran’s Fajr Tournament gold medallist Reza Korzbori.

The first round produced three minutes of outstanding boxing, with Korzbori clearly listening to his coach Alireza Esteki who was instructing the Iranian to reduce the fighting distance.

Round two followed a similar theme as Fernandez began to assert his dominance more profoundly, and he opened the final frame with a tremendous body punch.

Fernandez’s superior stamina was the main difference between the two, and he eventually eliminated his tough opponent who produced an amazing challenge against decorated Filipino.

The 22-year-old winner will now fight Kazakhstan’s AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Kayrat Yeraliyev in the last 16.

Fernandez lost to Yeraliyev in the last edition of the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships, but is now more prepared and experienced.

Team of the day

Vietnam had two boxers in action on Day 2, and both were able to win their contests.

Light Flyweight Huynh Ngoc Tan dominated his match against Laos’ teenager Khamphouvanh Kamsathone, where his quick combinations proved too much for his neighbouring opponent.

Following Huynh’s victory, his fellow Vietnamese National Champion Tran Phu Cuong eliminated Chinese Taipei’s Lin Sheng Lin in a spectacular bout.

Surprises of the day

Iraq’s Hasan Ali Naser had won two international tournaments in Kazakhstan over the past year to make him a serious gold medal contender at Light Flyweight, but the 23-year-old was beaten by DPR Korea’s Ham Jong Hyok.

Tajikistan’s AIBA Junior World Champion Asror Vohidov was also expected to shine in Bangkok, yet suffered a shock defeat to Jordan’s veteran Mohammed Abdelaziz Al-Wadi after receiving two warnings from the referee.

The Round-Up

Japan’s ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships bronze medallist Kenji Fujita  continued his winning run in 2015 with victory over Sri Lanka’s Gayan Sanjeewa Jayaweera Naiduralage.

Turkmenistan’s former ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Championships bronze medallist Yakub Meredov used a great variety of punches to eliminate Qatari Bantamweight Othman Jumani Arbabi.

Uzbekistan’s AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships silver medallist Murodjon Akhmadaliyev knocked down Bangladesh’s Mohammed Omiduzzaman three times in their Bantamweight bout en route to a decisive victory.

Facts of the day

Vietnam has now won its opening three bouts in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships, which has never happened before.

Several other top nations including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Japan, Jordan, Philippines and Mongolia also remain perfect, while the first boxer from Thailand will compete on the fourth competition day.

China has lost both of their opening contests in Bangkok, but they have further chances to perform better in the upcoming days.

Quote of the day

“I tried to be relaxed in my opening bout, and to avoid any bad movements as this event will be long for me. I had a lot of bouts in our Kanto University Boxing League at home against tough opponents, and I felt after those contests that I had to improve my strength. I am sure I will do much better in my next contest,” said Japan’s Kenji Fujita.

Tomorrow’s program

The third day of the preliminaries will be held tomorrow, where the Flyweight (52 kg), Light Welterweight (64 kg), Welterweight (69 kg) and Middleweight (75 kg) weight classes will be in action.

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