Olympic super-heavyweight favorite and gold medal prospect Bakhodir Jalolov finds himself on the fast track to facing the world’s best in the next two years.
The Uzbekistan star premiered at the Olympics in Tokyo earlier this week, where he scored a whitewash 5-0 triumph over Abdullayev Mahammad of Azerbaijan.
Having dominated the tournament’s Round of 16 preliminaries, Jalolov cemented his place for a predicted podium spot.
One win away from a particular trinket to take back to the United States, Jalolov will then aim to build on his impressive start in the professional ranks.
Standing six-foot-six, the 27-year-old holds a professional record of 8-0 with eight knockouts. A terrifying one hundred percent KO ratio.
In taking a break from the paid ranks to return to the Olympic stage seeking gold medal glory, he aims to wipe away the memory of his medal-less appearance at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Since then, Jalolov has improved vastly and is a superstar in his own country. He has now had the distinguished honor of being the first athlete in the history of Uzbekistan to be the country’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies twice.
Born in Sariosiyo, Uzbekistan, the southpaw Jalolov has garnered tremendous accolades as an amateur. He won gold medals at the Asian Amateur Boxing Championships three times (2017, 2019, and 2021), World Cup Tournament, Liventsev Memorial Tournament, Great Silk Way Tournament, and Duisenkul Shopokov Memorial Tournament in 2015.
Also, at the World Cup of Petroleum Countries Tournament in 2014, plus winning numerous national championships.
HEAVYWEIGHT CAREER
During his amateur career, Jalolov also focused on his education, earning a Master’s Degree in Sports Science.
All this rolled into one will be extended if the big-punching brute walks away with a gold medal in Tokyo. His US representative Lou DiBella will then be looking to step up his competition.
Jalolov could be mixing it with ranked fighters by next year. By 2023, Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder will be looking over their shoulders.
There’s a storm coming.
Catch Jalolov on August 1st in his Quarter-Final match-up against India’s Satish Kumar on your local Olympic coverage provider.
