Super-heavyweight boxing gold goes to Bakhodir Jalolov at the Olympic Games.
B. Jalolov Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Uzbekistan’s first Olympic boxing champion, Bakhodir Jalolov, won a brutal final against Richard Tozzer of the United States. The bout took place at Kokugikan Arena.
Bakhodir Jalolov, a boxer from Uzbekistan, defeated Richard Torrez Jr. of the United States to win the gold medal in the super-heavyweight 91 kg division and give his country its first Olympic boxing victory ever.
It was their second fight in as many years, but the 27-year-old did not violently knock out the American this time. The 22-year-old, who had more experience going into the fight, fought valiantly but ultimately lost, with the judges giving the match to Jalolov by a score of 5-0.
The Uzbek athlete afterwards commented, “The last bout was incredibly challenging.” Being a champion still seems surreal to me. Many athletes, I believe, harbour secret ambitions to win an Olympic gold medal. When I was a kid, that was also one of my fantasies. For the first time, I had a chance to succeed.
Being a Champion still Seems like a dream to me.
Many athletes, I believe, harbour secret ambitions of becoming Olympic champion.
One of my childhood fantasies also involved doing this. My previous inability to complete the task was now moot.
After losing to his opponent at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships, Torrez went into the Kokugikan Arena to the sounds of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” with a cool and collected demeanour. He came to get even, and he meant business.
He fought Aggressively from the Opening bell, Throwing Punches and Setting a Fast Ppace.
He was dwarfed in height by the Uzbek, but Torrez had the advantage in speed and dexterity. While the American, a novice, dove to evade Jalolov’s shots, the former amateur’s aim wavered. After the first round, he returned to his corner and American coach Billy Walsh.
In the second round, Jalolov, who finished fifth in Rio 2016, started landing his knockout strikes. As the referee attended to Tozzer’s cut, the action resumed, this time with the American participant.
He was cautious, adamant that there would be no knockouts, but the world champion looked formidable, and Tozzer still took a few right jabs despite his best attempts. The Uzbek athlete won the round with a unanimous vote from the judges.
At the end of the third round, with the support of his American squad, the youthful challenger gave it his all, but Jalolov, who had fought valiantly himself, earned a unanimous decision and the gold medal as the Olympic boxing tournament came to a close in Tokyo.
After Rustam Saidov won bronze in Sydney in 2000, he becomes only the second boxer from his country to earn an Olympic medal.
Tozzer, who had hoped for gold, lamented, “I had the world in my hands, and it slipped, and I watched it fall and break, and I’m trying to pick up the pieces.”
We’re talking about a large guy here. As a fellow competitor, I must congratulate him on his tremendous success. It’s not fun to be in the ring and take blows. Prior to getting their mouths punched, everyone has a strategy. One blow knocked me off balance, but I recovered quickly and kept going.
Jalolov Suffered no Defeats en route to the Championship Game.
Additionally, he won by 5-0 scores against Satish Kumar of India and Mahammad Abdullayev of Azerbaijan, as well as bronze medalist Frazer Clarke of Great Britain.
Torrez defeated Kamshybek Kunkabayev, of Kazakhstan, in the semi-finals, and Kunkabayev took bronze.