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Laman Ismayilova

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Strandja 2026 International Boxing Tournament is underway in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, AzerNEWS reports.

Two more members of Azerbaijan's national team claimed victories on the second day of the competition.

In the 55 kg weight category, Zidan Humbatov faced Jirayr Sargsyan (Armenia) in the round of 16. The Azerbaijani boxer gave his Armenian opponent no chance and secured a unanimous decision victory — 5:0 (29:28, 29:28, 29:28, 29:28, 29:28). He will next face Maksym Zymenko (Ukraine). The bout is scheduled for February 27.

Malik Hasanov (65 kg) also started the tournament with a win. He defeated Giacomo Giannotti (Italy). After his opponent suffered an injury, Hasanov was declared the winner in the second round — 4:0 (20:18, 19:19, 20:18, 20:18, 20:18).

The tournament will conclude on March 1.

Boxing is known as one of the oldest and most popular sports in the history of humankind.

The earliest evidence of boxing dates back to Egypt around 3,000 BC.

This sport was introduced to the ancient Olympic Games by the Greeks in the late 7th century BC.

In 1924, the International Amateur Boxing Federation (FIBA) was established.

Since 1946, it has been referred to as the International Boxing Association (AIBA). Boxing made its Olympic debut at the 1904 Games in St. Louis.

In 1926, the boxing championship was held for the first time in Azerbaijan, where national boxers took first place.

Since 1992, the Azerbaijani Boxing Federation has become a full member of the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

Azerbaijani boxers have won many prestigious awards at many international championships.

Aghasi Mammadov has entered Azerbaijan's history of boxing as the first national boxer, as a gold medallist at the world championship.

Another Azerbaijani boxer, Fuad Asadov, was among the medallists at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

Many times, Azerbaijan has been chosen as the host country for major boxing championships.

The AIBA Youth World Championships were held in Baku in 2019. This world championship was the first licensed youth tournament to qualify for the 2010 Olympic Games held in Singapore.

The country also hosted the 2011 AIBA World Boxing Championships, which was the first major qualifying event for the London 2012 Olympic Games.