THE final contests of the IBA 2025 Boxing World Championships in Dubai closed with the same kind of thrills and spills that lit up the tournament across the past week. There were close encounters, impressive displays and a single stoppage across the 13 gold medal-deciding bouts.

In an opening battle of youth vs experience, it was youth that won the day, as Subhan Mamedov (Azerbaijan) secured gold at 48 kg following a 4-3 win over Edmond Khudoian (Russia).

Eschewing the usual jab and move tactics associated with the amateur code, Khudoian used frenzied blasts of activity from both stances to try and throw the youngster off his stride.

It worked to some degree in the first as Khudoian claimed a 3-2 split. Mamedov came out with the bit between his teeth in the second, not giving up as much ground, letting the double jab-right hands flow. The added impetus was rewarded in a 4-1 second-round split to Mamedov.

Both men let their hands go with ferocious intent in the final round. The judges preferred Mamedov’s work much to the shock of Khudoian, who wandered the ring in confusion at a mere silver medal.

Hasanboy Dusmatov (Uzbekistan) is the 51kg gold medallist after defeating a brave but outgunned Bair Batlaev (Russia) 4-1.

Dusmatev has faced every challenge in a style befitting a decorated boxer and consummate professional. The smaller Dusmatov, an Olympic champion no less, soaked up most of what the taller Russian offered, on the gloves, and fired back between the gaps.

It was enough to earn the Uzbek a 4-1 split. Batlaev tried to change tack in the second and lead off before stepping back as Dusmatov swarmed and countered the counters. It worked to a point, until the quality shone through as the second round progressed and the Uzbekistan fighter picked up another 4-1 split.

Batlaev lashed away with long-levered attacks in the final round. Dusmatov used his smarts to find gaps, pick away and win a 4-1 final decision despite conceding the last round by the same margin.

Saken Bibossinov of Kazakhstan picked up the bantamweight gold medal over a distraught Viacheslav Rogozin (Russia), who never stopped punching for three minutes.

The ultra-confident Russian came blazing out of the traps, launching hooks and uppercuts to head and body from both hands. Bibossinov’s only moments of respite came from the referee admonishing him for low blows or pushing. 

Seemingly sweeping the opening round 10-9 across the board, Rogozin had to make do with a baffling 3-2 split. The 2024 youth champion took that slight personally and entered the second with another rapid-fire round. 

It was tempered at the close of the second when Bibossinov landed a right uppercut, which not only stopped the rampant Rogozin in his tracks but invited the ref to call a standing count. Bibossinov won the second round by UD.

Rogozin was relentless in the final round, sending the contest to a bout review, ending in the Kazakh’s favour. The Russian took his defeat with grace but looked understandably close to tears during the 54kg post-fight ceremony.

Kazakhstan’s Orazbek Assylkulov has a gold medal around his neck after posting a 5-0 UD victory over Khusravkhon Rakhimov of Tajikistan at 57kg.

There was no feeling-out process as they got down to business immediately. After conceding the first session unanimously, Rakhimov aggressively started the second.

His toil was scantly rewarded as Assylkulov claimed it 3-2. Boxing with a nick around the right cheek, the third round got messy, which did not help Rakhimov’s cause as the clock ran away from him.

Vsevolod Shumkov of Russia forced his 60kg fight with Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov to a bout review and grabbed gold with both hands, courtesy of a 4-3 victory fueled through pure will to win.

After a rought-and-tumble opening round, Khalokov cleaned up with 10-9s. The onus was on Shumkov in the second and he responded with two-fisted pumping pressure as Khalokov scrapped to push him off. Khalokov still won it 3-2.

Shumkov put it all on the line in the final round, launching wide hooks as Khalokov walked a time-wasting tightrope of holding and grappling. Former world champion Denis Lebedev jumped to his feet at the conclusion, roaring his approval at the efforts of both men, particularly his compatriot, who pushed himself over the line.

Ilia Popov of Russia outworked Omar Livaza (Kyrgyzstan) to take 63.5kg gold.

An all-action first ended with Popov washing all five cards 10-9. Backfoot mover Livaza needed some front-foot motion to grab some love on the cards in round two. Popov suffered a cut to the right eye in round two as Livaza upped the offensive output even more.

A tight second, between two southpaws, saw Popev maintain his advantage with a 4-1 split. Livaza needed final-round urgency, but his refusal to abandon basic boxing fundamentals cost him any chance of top podium placement at light-welterweight.

Uzbek boxing royalty Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev will need to clear some more space in his trophy cabinet after defeating Evgenii Kool (Russia) by a 5-0 UD at welterweight.

Muydinkhujaev seized every card in the opener, despite Kool enjoying brief moments of success. Kool pushed the pace in round two, pinning the Uzbek as best as he could, trying to find a space to land the same body punches that caused his previous tournament victims so much trouble. 

Swift-moving Muydinkhujaev was skilled in the art of evading such attacks. Muydinkhujaev scored another 5-0 mop-up in the second as the experienced champion’s round management paid dividends. A pro winner yesterday, Nico Ali Walsh, handed out the awards.

Ablaikhan Zhussupov (Kazakhstan) turned his string of bronze medals into a gold, defeating Russia’s Sergei Koldenkov 4-1 in the 71kg final.

After 90 seconds of feeling out, Zhussupov discovered his timing to tonk the Russian as Koldenkov tried to find a little encouragement. The Kazakh won 4-1 to start off.

Koldenkov seemed wary of opening up as Zhussupov’s hand speed proved superior. Unable to go punch-for-punch, the Russian’s timing needed to be perfect. His second round lifeline was removed as Zhussupov won 4-1 again.

Koldenkov raised the pace at the close of the final round, trying to pin down Zhussupov, who decided to jump on his bicycle and see out the contest. He had done enough by split decision to become the IBA champ, despite losing the third by a 5-0 margin.

Yet another Russia vs. Kazakhstan, southpaw versus southpaw contest, this time at 75kg, saw Russia’s Ismail Mutsolgov prevail 5-0 over Sabyrzhan Akkalykov to become world champion. Artur Beterbiev awarded the winner his spoils.

Akkalykov was intent on making a first-round impression on his bearded foe. The Kazakh fighter would’ve been pleased with his output, only to suffer a deflation as the judges totalled 5-0 across the board in favour of Mutsolgov.

At the close of the second round, Mutsolgov opened his arms in exasperation, willing his red-vested opponent to engage. Mutsolgov need not worry as he got the second 4-1 anyway.

Needing something gigantic in the final round, Akkalykov required a rapid-motion delivery and a pile of 10-8 totals to swing it to bout review. Try as he might, the Kazakhstan boxer couldn’t manage that feat. The scoring in the first session killed any competitive momentum. 

One of the tournament standouts, Javokhir Ummataliev (Uzbekistan), had taken a notable semi-final scalp by eliminating Arlen Lopez of Cuba. His task was to follow up on that success against Dzhambulat Bizhamov, Russia, at 80kg.

Ummataliev was smiling around the 45-second remaining mark of round one, indicating how pleased he was with the opening round. It was an untidy first session. 

The Uzbek landed all of the eye-catching blows, taking the opener 3-2, which was kind to Bizhamov as his opponent’s shots appeared to find a home whether delivered straight or curved.

Bizhamov swayed the advantage in his favour with a strong second round. There was not much to chew on from either fighter, leaving rounds open to the five judges’ interpretation.

Ummataliev tagged the torso as Bizhamov’s nose oozed blood. Bizhamov claimed world championship status by a 5-0 UD after a lot of tangled exchanges that were open to interpretation.

The new IBA 86kg World cruiserweight king is Sharabutdin Ataev (Russia), who achieved back-to-back World Championship golds by toppling Aleksei Alfiorau (Belarus) by a 5-0 UD.

The confident and accomplished Ataev made it his business to pin Alfiorau against the ropes and let the heavy shots rip. There was plenty of leather landed, much to the delight of the vocal Russian faithful.

The Belarusian southpaw wandered around the ring waiting for a moment to attack that never arrived. Patient Ataev controlled the opener, scoring a 4-1 split success. It was left all for Alfiorau to do in the following two rounds.

Ataev’s slow and steady pressure served him well in the second, as the Russian covered up when necessary and let his shots go at the right moments, picking up more points with his compact style.

In a heavyweight battle of the big men, Muslim Gadzhimagomedov of Russia kept on rumbling towards his Uzbek opponent, Turabek Khabibullaev, to snatch a 5-0 unanimous decision victory.

After an untidy first three minutes, Gadzhimagomedov went to the corner 4-1 up, even though much of his forward stalking appeared to bear little fruit. Khabibullaev’s arcing left hand landed on a couple of occasions, but it was not enough to please the five scorers.

The Russian’s big frame sagged to the canvas more than once as Khabibullaev tried to use his extra hand speed. While not much of Gadzhimagomedov’s front-foot marching was effective, a final-second step-up grabbed him a clean sweep in the second session.

These two big units tired in the third as they wrestled, understandably unable to replicate the heat and intensity of their smaller boxing counterparts earlier in the evening. Gadzhimagomedov’s lumbering squeeze won out across the whole nine minutes to become a three-time World titlist.

In the final Dubai throwdown, at super-heavyweight, David Surov (Russia) set a pace that Arman Makhanov (Uzbekistan) could not match. Surov won by second-round RSC.

Taller Makhanov was struggling to get his timing down, finding his punches sliding around shoulders and off into the air. Surov’s grinding pressure told.

Once he got his right hand going, he appeared to have discovered a replicable honey punch. A clipping right prompted the referee to issue a round one count, securing a 5-0 brush up.

Needing a big second in this +92 kg battle, Makhanov’s woes continued when he was dished up another couple of standing counts. It was enough to end the contest, providing the first and only stoppage of the finals, as the Uzbek corner decided their man needed saving.