Paris (Reuters)
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khaiznyak won the men’s middleweight boxing final at the Paris Olympics on a split decision against Kazakhstan’s Nurbek Uralbay to claim the gold medal and make up for his loss in Tokyo.
Oralbay took the silver medal, while Cuba’s Arlen Lopez Cardona, a two-time Olympic champion, and Christian Pinales of the Dominican Republic won the bronze medal.
Three years ago in Tokyo, Khayzniak was seconds away from winning the final when a powerful left uppercut sent him crashing to the ground, handing the gold to Brazil’s Hubert Souza.
Khaiznyak pressed hard from the start of the fight, landing strong punches on Uralbay, to win the first round, although the Kazakh boxer landed a few good blows.
The match turned into a fierce battle in the second round, after Oralbay increased his ferocity, in a desperate attempt to keep up with the Ukrainian, and the result indicated a 2-2 draw before the play-off round.
With blood streaming from his nose, Oralbay bravely pushed forward into the final round, taking severe punishment, barely managing to stay on his feet until the end.
When the bell rang to end the fight, Khayzniak knew he had done enough, and ran around the ring to celebrate, before he was declared the winner.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Khaiznyak, writing on Telegram: “Thank you for the strength and confidence, for this important victory, we continue to support all our athletes, we support Ukraine, we support Ukrainians.”
To make his win even sweeter, Khayzniak is set to receive a cash bonus from his compatriot Oleksandr Usyk, the former undisputed heavyweight champion, who has pledged to give the Ukrainians cash prizes from his own pocket if they make it to the podium.
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