By Christopher Wizda
The Asian Elite Boxing Championships 2026 are underway at the ASA Arena in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, bringing together more than 230 athletes from over 25 nations to compete across 20 weight categories. The tournament runs from 28 March to 11 April, with women’s finals on 9 April and men’s finals on 10 April. The championship is being organized under the auspices of Asian Boxing and World Boxing, and represents the first continental championships hosted by a confederation aligned with World Boxing.
Turkmenistan sent six boxers to compete in the men’s divisions, and as the tournament enters the semifinal stage, one fighter remains in contention for a medal. Dovlet Yslamov has emerged as Turkmenistan’s standout performer. Competing in the super heavyweight division (90+kg), Yslamov delivered a commanding quarterfinal performance on April 4, defeating South Korea’s Taeung Ju by unanimous decision (5:0). His dominant display earned him a place in the semifinals, where he will face one of Asia’s top heavyweights in the coming days. Yslamov’s victory makes him Turkmenistan’s sole remaining hope for a medal at the championships.
The other five Turkmen boxers put in spirited efforts but were ultimately eliminated. Meylis Shadurdyyev (55kg) opened his campaign with a solid win over Kyrgyzstan’s Nursultan Asanakunov on March 31 but fell to Mongolia’s Bilguunsaikhan Kharkhuu 0:5 in the quarterfinals. Dovlet Muhanov (60kg) began with a convincing 5:0 victory over Indonesia’s Mars De Volta before being stopped by Thailand’s Sakda Ruamtham in a tough quarterfinal. Ihlasbek Kochkarov (65kg) cruised past Bhutan’s Kinley 5:0 in the opening round but could not overcome Thailand’s Bunjong Sinsiri in the quarterfinals. Yhlas Bagtyyarov (75kg) lost his quarterfinal bout to India’s Akash by unanimous decision on April 5. Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov (70kg) was eliminated in the first round in a narrow 2:3 split-decision loss to Kyrgyzstan’s Eldar Turdubaev.
All eyes now turn to Yslamov as the semifinals approach. A win would guarantee Turkmenistan at least a bronze medal and mark a significant achievement for the national boxing program on the continental stage. The men’s final bouts are scheduled for April 10.