Boxers from across Asia will be getting in the ring tomorrow in Tashkent as they search for qualification to the World Championships later this year.
The ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships will be taking place in the Uzbekistani capital until May 7 with 179 athletes from 28 countries featuring.
Places at the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) World Championships, being held in Hamburg, Germany, between August 25 and September 3.
Action will focus around the preliminary, quarter-finals and semi-finals over the first six days of competition before two days of finals finish off the event.
Home fans will be hoping to see success at the tournament with two men looking to defend their titles.
Hasanboy Dusmatov has been named in the Uzbekistan squad and will hope to retain the light-flyweight crown he won in Bangkok in 2015.
Also among the names representing the host nation is Bektemir Melikuziev, who is defending his middleweight title.
Kazakhstan also have a strong team heading to the Championships having won five golds two years ago.
However, only one of their reigning champions, heavyweight Vassilly Levit, features in the squad.
This year’s Championships will be the 29th time it has been held and the second time Tashkent has been the host city.
