Kazakhstan celebrates historic boxing triumph at world championships

Tengrinews.kz – Kazakhstan’s Nazym Kyzaibay, an Olympic bronze medalist and the country’s most decorated female boxer, has won her third world title at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Serbia.

In the final bout, Kyzaibay faced Russia’s Yulia Chumgalakova. Judges unanimously awarded the opening round to the Kazakh fighter, who went on to strengthen her lead in the second. In the final round, Kyzaibay adopted a more cautious approach and sealed the victory by decision. The win earned her the world championship belt in the light flyweight division (up to 48 kilograms).

Kyzaibay, born in 1993 in Almaty Region, first made her mark on the world stage in 2012, earning bronze at the World Championships in China. She became a world champion for the first time in 2014, and claimed her second title two years later in Astana.

For years, Kyzaibay struggled to qualify for the Olympic Games, as her weight class was not included in the competition. However, she finally made her Olympic debut in Paris in 2024, where she won bronze in the 50-kilogram division.

Following her Olympic success, Kyzaibay publicly announced her goal to become a three-time world champion – a feat she has now achieved.

En route to the final, Kyzaibay dominated Slovakia’s Nicole Durikova in the round of 16, knocking her down three times. In the quarterfinals, she secured an early victory over Venezuela’s Taionis Cedeño Rojas, and in the semifinals, defeated North Korea’s Hong Ken Ren by a 4-1 decision.

Kyzaibay’s opponent, Chumgalakova, had previously admitted in an interview that she regarded the Kazakh fighter as her main rival at the tournament.