Representing the country in the men’s youth contests, Esmaeili came out on top against Uzbekistan’s Shahzod Polvonov by unanimous decision (5:0) for the ultimate prize of the super heavyweight (+92kg) class.
This was a third medal for the Iranian youth team in Astana – after a couple of bronzes for Amir-Reza Soltani (54kg) and Amir-Reza Malek-Khatabi (86kg) – which saw the country finish fifth in the medals table.
Kazakhstan bagged a remarkable 12 medals – including five golds – to stand atop the table, with Uzbekistan, India, and China in the following spots.
The Iranian men’s under-22 squad, meanwhile, managed to claim three bronze medals – courtesy of Mohammad Mahshari (75kg), Ali Seyyed-Sadri (86kg), and Reza Khalilzadeh (+92kg).
More than 390 boxers from 24 countries fought for medals across 25 weight categories.