Kazakhstan's boxing team eyes finals in Liverpool medal rush

Eight Kazakh boxers - five women and three men - have already guaranteed themselves World Championship medals by reaching the semifinals in results from yesterday. Today, on September 12, two more Kazakh fighters will compete in quarterfinal bouts.

The women's 48 kg quarterfinal will feature Olympic bronze medalist Nazym Kyzaibay against Ukraine’s Anna Okhota. The two are well-known as seasoned and talented competitors. Okhota, 29, earned a silver medal at the 2018 World Championships after a loss to India’s Mary Kom. 31-year-old Kyzaibay has three World Championship golds in addition to her Olympic medal.

Another compelling quarterfinal will be the men's 50 kg bout between Kazakhstan's Sanzhar Tashkenbay and India's Jadumani Singh Mandengbam. Tashkenbay, 22, is a gifted boxer, and his Indian opponent is also a promising talent, although his accomplishments have been at the youth level so far.

The winners of these two quarterfinal matches will secure a medal, while the losers will be eliminated from the competition.

The semifinals, which start after the quarterfinals on September 12, will determine what medal each boxer will take home from Liverpool.

Kazakhstan's Viktoriya Grafeyeva will fight Rebecca De Lima Santos of Brazil in the women's 60 kg semifinal. The two opponents previously faced off in the 2025 World Cup final in Astana, where Grafeyeva won. The Brazilian will surely be looking for a rematch win in Liverpool.

The women's 65 kg semifinal will also include a Kazakh boxer. Aida Abikeyeva, who bested an Olympic champion from Türkiye in the previous round, will face off against an equally strong opponent from Ireland. Gráinne Mary Walsh is currently having a career-best World Championship and is expected to give the Kazakh a difficult fight.

The heavyweights will also enter the ring on September 12 for the semifinals. In the women's +80 kg division, Yeldana Talipova will face Poland’s Agata Kaczmarska. In the men's +90 kg category, Aibek Oralbay will compete against two-time Olympic champion Julio César De La Cruz of Cuba for a spot in the finals.

Semifinal losers will be awarded bronze medals, and the winners will move on to the finals for a chance at gold.

The first session begins at 4:00 p.m. Astana time, with the second session starting at 10:00 p.m.

Earlier, Kazinform reported that two Kazakh boxers stormed into the World Boxing Championships semifinals.