Professional heavyweight prospect and potential world champion Bakhodir Jalolov made a successful start to his Tokyo 2020 tournament.
Jalolov, already 8-0 in the paid ranks and boasting a one hundred percent knockout record, defeated Mahammad Abdullayev 5-0 to progress.
The 27-year-old from Uzbekistan, the favorite for the gold medal, looks hugely impressive as he took every round.
With a quarter-final place secured, Jalolov is just one win away from securing a medal. But his appearance at the Games is not without controversy.
World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman has already aired his displeasure at seeing Jalolov facing younger amateurs without his experience.
At the World Championships in Russia two years ago, where Jalolov cruised to the gold, Sulaiman commented on a knockout recorded earlier in the competition.
After Jalolov blasted out Richard Torrez in one round, Sulaiman aired his concern.
“Brutal and criminal to allow a professional boxer Jalolov from Russia with 6-0 as a pro to fight outclassed, outweighed and far smaller USA 20-year-old amateur Torrez at the AIBA world championship in Russia,” pointed out Sulaiman.
Nonetheless, those are the rules at the moment. Sulaiman has promised to do all he can to stop professionals fighting at the Olympic Games in the future.
HEAVYWEIGHT DEBATE
Ron Lewis, a journalist from the UK, attempted at the time to explain why Jalolov competing at that level is not a big deal, though.
“He was a super-heavyweight. The AIBA weights for heavy/super heavy (91kg) are basically the same as WBC weights cruiser/heavy (200lb).
“I didn’t realize (the) WBC was pushing for a new classification by height.
“Torrez is also a full-time athlete who has been boxing internationally for five years. Torrez has actually had around 120 bouts, which is the vast majority.
“So he is hardly some raw kid. You are doing him a huge disservice to suggest he is. Facts are amazing if you bother to do any research.”
The debate rages on a Jalolov continues to hurtle towards the top spot on the podium this summer.
