Mohammed Usaith Yazmin, a 20-year-old gangly southpaw from Kandy arose as the hero for Sri Lanka at the ASBC Asian Under-22 and Youth Boxing Championships when he carried into the finals with a power packed performance against Kyrgyzstan’s Daniel Abdrakhmanov at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium recently.
Usaith brought the roof down at the Stadium as he gave Sri Lankan fans something to cheer about in the Under-22 Middle (75kg) weight semi-finals by engaging the slugfest after four of his compatriots, including gold medal hope Umayanga Mihiran bowed out.
In a classic competition between two southpaws, Sri Lanka’s reigning national champion exploited his slight height and reach advantage, landing solid one-two combinations to unsettle Abdrakhmanov from the opening bell.
Usaith landed more than a handful powerful right crosses on the jaw of the tough Kyrgyzstan before smartly turning out of range to get the deserving nod in the first round 10-9 to the delight of the roaring home fans though surprisingly one judge felt otherwise.
Buoyed after his dominant first round performance, Usaith stepped up the tempo and engaged in a slug fest with his opponent. Both were warned for hitting with the open glove but Usaith took the round unanimously with all five judges scoring in his favour.
The crowd dreadfully looking for a Sri Lankan hero after a string of defeats in the semi-finals, cheered themselves hoarse egging the teenager who held his nerve displaying ring generalship despite having some anxious moments as Abdrakhmanov fought back vigorously to earn a unanimous points decision.
Usaith, who made his international debut as a 15-year-old when he was a student of Sri Sumangala College before moving to St. Sylvester’s College and became the youngest to signify the senior National team at the 2024 Asian Elite Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, will meet Kazakhstan’s Aman Konsbekov in the final on Friday.
Having overcome Saudi Arabia’s Nayif Al Mowalad and Kyrgyzstan’s Daniel Abdrakhmanov in the semi-finals, he has kept Sri Lanka’s hopes of winning a gold medal. His heroic performance will go down in history as worth its weight in gold, lifting the spirits of a despondent Sri Lanka boxing community especially after Asian Elite Championship bronze medallist Mihiran was stunned by Tajikistan’s Meroj Sufijonov in the Fly (51kg) weight semi-final.
Mihiran had everything riding in his favour after irresistible Kyrgyzstan’s Bekzat Ergeshov in the quarter-finals but was undone by the technical and tactical excellence of the Tajikistan southpaw Meroj who staggered him with powerful blows in the opening round. Mihiran bounced back gamely after receiving a mandatory ‘eight’ count but his rhythm and focus was absent as he attempted to outbox his opponent. Having lost the two rounds by wide margins of 10-8, he had a mountain to climb in the final round to turn the tide in his favour but could only play catch up as Meroj smartly kept him at bay to win a unanimous decision.
Though, unheralded Akila Dasunpriya gave Sri Lanka a bright start in the 48kg contest against Uzbekistan’s Behruz Kholdorov. A former Peradeniya Central College pugilist, south Dasunpriya displayed good technique and ringcraft unleashing combinations against the Uzbekistan boxer who prevailed with his precision, speed and power.
Ashen Karunanayaka failed to get under the skin of a taller Pakistani adversary Umar Raza Khan opponent in the Bantam (54kg) weight contest. Khan won the first two rounds by comfortably outboxing his shorter rival to lead the contest. Karunanayaka attacked relentlessly in the final round with the judges being split in favour of Khan, but it was a case of too little too late by the Sri Lankan.
Southpaw Thilakshana Deshan began the Light (60kg) weight contest beside Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Kaldybayev showing promise but it was over as a contest after he received a body blow in the opening minute.
Sri Lanka’s bronze medal tally rose to 18 after the exit of four boxers yesterday.
Results
(Under-22 semi-finals): Men: 48kg – Tileuberdi Suleimeni (Kazakhstan) beat Muinkhodza Muminov (Tajikistan) WP 4:0, Behruz Kholdorov (Uzbekistan) beat Akila Dasunpriya (Sri Lanka) WP 5:0, 51kg – Meroj Sufijonov (Tajikistan) beat Umayanga Mihiran (Sri Lanka) WP 5:0, Dias Berikbay (Kazakhstan) beat Arpil Rana (Nepal) WP 5:0, 54kg – Umar Raza Khan (IBA-Pakistan) beat Ashen Shehara Karunanayaka (Sri Lanka) WP 5:0, Anushervon Fazylov (Tajikistan) beat Zafarbek Kamilov (Kyrgyzstan) WP 4:3, 57kg – Zhasurbek Anorbayev (Kazakhstan) beat Bir Limbu Singh (Nepal) WP 5:0, Choojan-At Phanuwat (Thailand) beat Turgunbek Imankadyrov (Kyrgyzstan) WP 5:0, 60kg – Nurislam Kaldybayev (Kazakhstan) beat Jayasundara Mudalige Thilakshana Deshan (Sri Lanka) RSC R1, Damir Muibalikhonov (Tajikistan) beat Shokhrukh Abdumalikov (Uzbekistan) WP 4:1, 63.5kg – Seraly Zholmaganbet (Kazakhstan) beat Mousa Al Hawsaw (Saudi Arabia) WP 4:1, Omar Livaza (Kyrgyzstan) beat Ruslan Gafurov (Tajikistan) WP 5:0, 67kg – Almaz Orozbekov (Kyrgyzstan) beat Jake Van Rooyen (Australia) RSC R3, Bakhtiyar Anarbayev (Kazakhstan) beat Esmail Al Qassimi (Saudi Arabia) WP 5:0, 71kg – Eldar Turdubaev (Kyrgyzstan) beat Murodjon Ashuraliev (Tajikistan) WP 5:0, Agazhan Kadyr (Kazakhstan) beat Abdulrahman B.M.J.F. Al Mutairi (Kuwait) WP 5:0, 75kg – Mohammed Usaith Yazmin (Sri Lanka) beat Daniel Abdrakhmanov (Kyrgyzstan) WP 5:0, Aman Konsbekov (Kazakhstan) beat Dang Luu Pham (Vietnam) RSC R2, 80kg – Uulu Sagyn Satybaldy (Kyrgyzstan) beat Duy Cuong Ha (Vietnam) WP 5:0.
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