Uzbek boxer loses gold medal following disqualification for biting his opponent

Uzbek boxer Khavasbek Asadullaev was disqualified after biting his Kazakh opponent, Ablaikhan Zhussupov, during the final. As a result, the gold medal was awarded to Zhussupov by the decision of the Asian Boxing Confederation.

Competing in the -71 kg weight category, Asadullaev defeated Kazakhstan’s Zhussupov in the final of the Asian Championship held in Thailand on December 11. However, during the fight, Asadullaev bit Zhussupov’s shoulder.

Initially, the referee did not penalize Asadullaev, despite IBA rule 21.1.8, which classifies biting as a violation. The Kazakhstan Boxing Confederation later submitted a protest, providing evidence in the form of photos and videos that documented the violation.

In response, the technical representative for the tournament, Mrs. Sadie Duffy of Ireland, made the decision to disqualify Asadullaev for the serious breach of the rules. The length of the disqualification remains unclear.

“The biting incident was missed by the referee but was later identified,” the Confederation stated.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Uzbekistan finished in first place with 8 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal. Kazakhstan secured second place with 4 gold, 6 silver, and 1 bronze medal.

According to the rules, when a boxer is disqualified, their opponent is declared the winner. As a result, Zhussupov was awarded the gold in this weight category, and Uzbekistan’s total gold medal count was reduced by one.