
Another teenage sensation, Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan, made it through a tough draw to earn a shot at the middleweight title on finals night. At just 19 years old, it took Cuba’s powerful PanAmerican Games champion, Arlen Lopez, to stop him, but Melikuziev’s silver medal is a sign there will be much more to come from the young prospect. Among Uzbekistan’s exciting crop of youngsters to appear were Murodjon Akhmadaliev, Elnur Abduraimov and Bakhodir Jalolov, all medalists in Doha, all born in 1994.
The average age of all ten gold medalists was just 23 years old, setting AIBA World Boxing up for an exciting future and what will no doubt be a dramatic Olympic season in 2016.