World Boxing Cup 2026:
Habibinejad bags bronze to end Iran’s 30-year drought
Iran’s Ali Habibinejad settled for bronze at the World Boxing Cup in Guiyang, China, on Saturday, ending the country’s 30-year wait for a medal at the prestigious event.
Habibinejad suffered a semifinal defeat to American Marcus Luther to finish joint-third alongside Frenchman Hugo Grau, who withdrew from his last-four bout against Moldovan Alexandru Paraschiv, in the Elite Men’s 65kg division.
The Iranian started on the front foot in the opening round, but the American bounced back to claim a unanimous 5-0 decision.
Iran had last won medals at the competition through Kourosh Molaei and Seyyed Ebrahim Mousavi, who both claimed bronze medals.
After receiving a first-round bye, Habibinejad began his campaign with a victory over Mexico’s Hugo Barron after the referee stopped the contest midway through the bout. He then overcame England’s Patris Mughalzai by a 3-2 decision to advance to the semifinals.
Habibinejad was the sole medalist in Iran’s seven-athlete squad, which included two female boxers, at the event, which featured around 300 fighters from 40 countries.