Ten Azerbaijani boxers have advanced to the semifinals of the European U-15 Boxing Championships in Trabzon, Türkiye, guaranteeing the national team at least ten bronze medals.
As reported by İdman.Biz, citing the Azerbaijan Boxing Federation, six more Azerbaijani athletes secured their places in the last four following the final quarterfinal bouts.
Nuray Gafarova (50 kg) claimed a convincing 5-0 victory over Georgia's Nino Tirkia. She will face Russia's Polina Agacanyan for a place in the final.
Alakbar Mammadli (44 kg) defeated Moldova's Leonard Buhaniuc by unanimous decision (5-0) and will meet Ireland's Rian Branagan in the semifinals.
Sanan Nasibli (52 kg) also recorded a 5-0 victory, overcoming Romania's David Popescu. His next opponent will be Serbia's Lazar Jovanovic.
Sadig Khalilov (54 kg), a product of the Nakhchivan boxing school, dominated Russia's Yaroslav Nikolauskas to secure a unanimous 5-0 win. He will face Scotland's Jay Sheridan in the semifinals.
Yusif Ali (57 kg) emerged victorious from a closely contested bout against Montenegro's Nikola Ilic, winning 3-2 on the judges' scorecards. He will now take on Ukraine's Kirill Chumakov.
Sunay Azimov (60 kg) secured an early victory against Romania's Daniel Sardaru, winning by referee stoppage in the third round. The Azerbaijani boxer will face England's Solomon Dubois for a place in the final.
Four other Azerbaijani representatives had already booked their semifinal spots: Rafael Abbasov (66 kg), Sarkhan Hakhverdiyev (70 kg), Huseyn Aydamirli (90 kg) and Gulay Ojagova (57 kg).
With ten boxers reaching the semifinals, Azerbaijan has guaranteed itself at least ten medals at the continental championships. All ten athletes will now compete for places in the finals and the opportunity to fight for European gold.
The semifinal bouts are scheduled to begin today, October 22.
