AIBA Interim President Gafur Rakhimov, left, laid flowers today at the Tomb of the Uknown Soldier in Moscow ©Boxing Federation of Russia

International Boxing Association Interim President Gafur Rakhimov laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at the Kremlin Wall here today.

He was accompanied by Umar Kremlev, secretary general of the Boxing Federation of Russia, and 80-year-old double Olympic gold medallist Boris Lagutin, winner of the light middleweight title at Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968 and a bronze medallist at Rome 1960.

Other top Russian boxers who took part in the ceremony included Oleg Saitov, the Olympic welterweight gold medallist at Altlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000, and Alexey Tishchenko, featherweight champion at Athens 2004 and lightweight at Beijing 2008.

Rakhim Chakhkiev, the Olympic heavyweight gold medallist at Beijing 2008, and Gaidarbek Gaidarbekov, middleweight champion at Athens 2004, also accompanied Rakhimov and Kremlev.

Delegates from a number of countries attending the AIBA Congress in Moscow joined Interim President Gafur Rakhimov at the Kremlin to attend a ceremony today honouring Russian soldiers killed during World War Two ©Boxing Federation of Russia
Delegates from a number of countries attending the AIBA Congress in Moscow joined Interim President Gafur Rakhimov at the Kremlin to attend a ceremony today honouring Russian soldiers killed during World War Two ©Boxing Federation of Russia

The solemn ceremony at the war memorial dedicated to the soldiers from the Soviet Union killed during World War Two located at the Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden was attended by representatives from 138 countries.

Rakhimov was accompanied by several participants due to take part in the AIBA Congress, scheduled to take place tomorrow and Saturday (November 3). 

He is the favourite to be elected permanent President of the AIBA when delegates vote on Saturday, despite being described as "one of Uzbekistan's leading criminals".

Rakhimov's only rival is Kazakhstan's Serik Konakbayev.