On July 10, the IBA Evening of Champions took place in Baku, featuring six fights between 12 boxers representing six countries. The event took place at the Sea Breeze Resort, where Azerbaijani boxers competed in six-round bouts.

The open-air boxing evening opened at sunset with live performances by the Natiq Rhythm Group and Elnur Huseynov, who previously represented Azerbaijan at the Eurovision Song Contest. The performances set the mood before the first fighters entered the ring.

The evening began with the bout between Sarkhan Aliyev (Azerbaijan) and Nurtas Azhbenov (Kazakhstan), in which Aliyev secured a unanimous 3:0 victory.

In the second bout, Tayfur Aliyev (Azerbaijan) faced Khurshidbek Rasuljonov (Uzbekistan), ending in a draw. Another draw occurred later in the evening between Nebi Isgenderov (Azerbaijan) and Khikmet Garaev (Russia).

The only scheduled eight-round bout took place between Cheerav Ashalaev (Russia) and Mikhail Dolgolevets (Belarus). Ashalaev won after eight rounds.

In the other bout, Saidjamshid Jafarov (Azerbaijan) defeated Mikalai Vesialou (Belarus) by unanimous decision, 3:0.

One of the highlights of the evening was the performance of former world boxing champion Roy Jones Jr., who performed his signature song, “Can’t Be Touched”. By this performance, Jones accompanied Azerbaijani boxer Subhan Mamedov for the final fight of the evening.

In the main event, Subhan Mamedov (Azerbaijan) faced Richard Garde (Philippines). Mamedov won a technical victory after before the start of the fourth round, ending the evening successfully for the home crowd.

© SportLens.net | Nurlan Tahirli