Iranian boxers settle for four Asian U19 bronzes
Four members of the Iranian under-19 squad had to settle for a bronze medal on the first day of the U22 & U19 Asian Boxing Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.
Meanwhile, Ali Chehreqani defeated opponents from Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates before outmuscling the host’s boxer in emphatic fashion to progress to the men’s 60kg final and will fight for the ultimate prize today.
Mahdi Rouzbehani beat Saudi and Sri Lankan boxers but fell short against his Filipino opponent in the semifinals to finish joint-third in the men’s 50kg event.
Ashkan Hashemi was beaten by Indian Mausam Suhag in the 65kg semifinals to finish his 65kg campaign with a bronze medal, with Mohammad-Saleh Mesbahi suffering a controversial last-four setback against the Uzbek boxer – a world champion last year – in the 70kg event.
A fourth bronze medal for the country came in the men’s +90kg class as Abbas Garshasbi also fell short against his Uzbek opponent in the last-four bout.
Amirreza Soltani (-55kg) and Arvin Shahbabaei (90kg) finished empty-handed after first-round defeats in their respective weight classes.
More than 390 boxers will represent 26 countries across different men’s and women’s weight categories and age-groups in the Thai capital for 13 days.