Russian boxer Albert Batyrgaziev is the Olympic champion in the men's boxing featherweight category after a split-decision victory over Duke Ragan of the United States at the Kokugikan Arena.

In a terrific contest, Batyrgaziev was awarded the first two rounds by four of the five judges, with three of the cards having him leading 20-18 while the other two had the fight as a draw.

Four of the judges awarded the final round to Ragan, with Batyrgaziev claiming gold after being declared winner by three of the five judges.

Batyrgaziev had defeated the Dominican Republic’s Alexy Miguel de la Cruz Baez on a unanimous points decision in his first bout of the Games, and followed it up with split-decision wins against Mongolia’s Tsendbaatar Erdenebat and Cuba’s Lázaro Álvarez in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.

Prior to the Games, the 23-year-old had been beaten by Álvarez at the quarter-final stage of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) World Boxing Championships in Yekaterinburg in 2019.

Albert Batyrgaziev, in blue, was awarded the first two rounds by four of the five judges, and declared winner of his Olympic final on three cards ©Getty Images
Albert Batyrgaziev, in blue, was awarded the first two rounds by four of the five judges, and declared winner of his Olympic final on three cards ©Getty Images

He made his professional debut in July 2020, and triumphed at the European Qualification Tournament for Tokyo 2020 in London.

Batyrgaziev was previously a kickboxer, where he won gold medals at under-18 level in the World Championships and European Championships, before focusing on boxing from 2016.

Born in Babayurt in Dagestan, Batyrgaziev has previously spoken of how a boxing career had been his dream from an early age.

He has also been awarded the title of Master of Sport of International Class in the Russian Federation.

He can now add a gold on Olympic debut to his list of honours.