Last month, in the Paris 2024 Olympics, Hasanboy Dusmatov became a two-time Olympic champion.
The 31-year-old Uzbek amateur standout, who claimed gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016 but didn’t go to the Tokyo games because his weight class was taken away, enjoyed appearing and taking top prize in Paris.
“To participate in this huge events like Olympic Games is special for each athlete in the world,” Dusmatov told The Ring through manager Vadim Kornilov. “Everyone knows that the dream of all the kids in Olympic sports is to win the Olympic games. I was lucky enough to make it twice. I’m blessed, happy and thankful to God for everything that I went through and experienced in my career.
“Nothing in the world I can compare winning the Olympics for the first time. Those emotions are incomparable, but if there is something as close to emotions as it was first time it is to win it for the second time.”
DUSMATOV WINS THE OLYMPIC GOLD
Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan wins the Olympic Gold at 51kg as he defeats Billal Bennama 5-0 #Boxing #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/xmGRlC8OUw
— Tokkerū (@ATokkers5) August 8, 2024
In the seven male weight classes, Uzbekistan dominated the field by claiming a hugely impressive haul of five gold medals.
However, despite that success, Dusmatov feels it could have been more.
“I am always proud of our achievements of our team,” he said. “I’m the older guy, I’ve been here [for many] Olympics cycles, and I’ve seen how some of this boxers grow from kids to grown men and to Olympic champions. I’m very proud of them and of all their achievements.
“But in reality, I also feel a little bit upset, because two of our guys got wrong decisions in their fights and we could have gotten at least seven medals. It will be at least two bronze, if the boys hadn’t received such bad decisions. I believe that they were better than everyone in their weight classes.”
The boxing-crazy country looks after their own and are reaping the rewards by regularly appearing on the podium at major amateur boxing tournaments.
“Since 2016, nothing has changed. Uzbekistan is a boxing country that has produced champions for the last decade,” he said. “We’re taking the gold all around the world and bring them back to Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is proud of us. They support us, all the people, all fans, the government, the President, everyone’s behind us. Every single family in our country supports us.
“That’s what gives us motivation every time we step in the ring. And of course, we are always welcome home and they treat us as some kind of heroes as we’re raising our flag with honor around the world.”
Dusmatov, who aside from his Olympic success picked up gold in the 2023 World Championships as well as three golds at the Asian Championships amongst other notable tournament wins, says he has in excess of 400 amateurs wins, with only about 10 to 15 loses and going a very impressive 18-0 in the World Series of Boxing (WSB).
That part of his life looks to be behind him, and he has aspirations of adding more accolades in the professional ranks, where he is currently 6-0 (5 KOs). He will have an eye on this weekend’s WBA strawweight title fight between Knockout CP Freshmart and Alex Winwood in Perth, Australia.
“I achieved every single thing in the world, I won every single tournament in the world,” he pointed out. “I’m a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Val Barker trophy recipient, maybe the last in the history of amateur boxing.
“If there is something left that I would love to achieve and accomplish is becoming a professional world champion. I am the official mandatory challenger for the WBA strawweight champion. I’m talking to my management about the possibility to fight the champion. After I rest little bit, I am willing to challenge him for the WBA strawweight championship but I’m also open for any higher weight guys, champions, who wants to be challenged.”
And that is the target for Kornilov, who also guides the careers of his countrymen Bakhodir Jalalov, Israil Madrimov and Murodjon Akhmadaliev amongst others.
“Hasanboy has done everything in the amateurs,” said Kornilov. “I am hoping that he gets his opportunity to become a world champion in the pro ranks next.”
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk.
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