Abdalla Lands First Asiad Blow

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain boxer Ali Abdalla made a winning start to his Asian Games campaign yesterday, defeating Turkmenistan’s Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov in the men’s 70kg preliminaries at Nishio Gymnasium.

With Irish head coach John Conlan in his corner, the GCC Games champion earned a 4-1 victory on points after three rounds to book his place in the last 16 at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Abdalla built his advantage over the opening two rounds, with four of the five judges scoring in his favour. Nurmuhammedov responded in the third, but the Bahraini had done enough to secure his passage to the next stage.

Abdalla will return to the ring for his last-16 bout on Thursday, with a place in the September 28 quarter-finals at stake. The 70kg semi-finals are scheduled for September 30, with the final to be held on October 3.

He is one of five Bahrain fighters competing at the Games as the kingdom pursues a first-ever Asian Games boxing medal.

Two more members of the squad enter the ring tomorrow: Omar Budhahei faces Iraq’s Mohammed Sattar Salih Shijlawi in the men’s 60kg preliminaries and Hamsa Vogel takes on India’s Ankush in the men’s 80kg preliminaries.

Maryam Khamis, Bahrain’s lone woman boxer, is entered in the women’s 54kg category, with her opening bout scheduled for Friday.

Jorge Luis Lobaina completes the kingdom’s line-up and will begin his campaign against Kyrgyzstan’s Bakyt Toktosun Uulu in the men’s 90kg preliminaries on Saturday.

Bahrain are competing in Asian Games boxing for only the second time, having made their debut at Hangzhou 2022.