"Even After Reaching Final in 12 Years"... S. Korean Men's Boxing Wraps Up with Two Silver Medals

South Korean men's boxing prospect Jang Dong-hwan (Korea National Sport University) has claimed a valuable silver medal after displaying great fighting spirit against the world's best on the Asian Games final stage.

On October 2, at the Nishio Gymnasium in Nishio, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Jang lost 0-5 (27-30, 27-30, 27-30, 28-29, 27-30) by unanimous decision to Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan in the men's 60kg boxing final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Khalokov, the opponent in the final, is the "absolute powerhouse" ranked world number one in this weight class, having swept gold medals at the Asian Championships, World Championships, 2024 Paris Olympics, and 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

From the first round, Jang did not shrink back and engaged in a fierce slugfest.

As Khalokov aggressively rushed in and evaded punches with quick weaving, Jang also charged fiercely to fight a close-range battle.

As a result, he held his ground evenly enough that one of the five judges scored the first round 10-9 in favor of Jang.

However, Khalokov's veteran savvy shone through in the second round.

Khalokov steadily accumulated points by landing clean hits from a distance, and whenever Jang moved in, he cleverly attempted clinches just short of receiving a referee's warning while throwing punches.

Struggling against his opponent's seasoned gameplay, Jang dropped the second round in a unanimous 9-10 deficit across all judges.

In the third round, where both fighters were visibly exhausted and their footwork slowed down, Khalokov resorted to time-wasting tactics to protect his lead.

Ultimately, all five judges scored the third round in favor of Khalokov (10-9), bringing the match to a close.

Kim Min-sung (Korea National Sport University), who competed in the men's 80kg final held right after, also added a silver medal following a narrow decision loss.

Kim fought hard against India's Ankush but lost by a decision of 0-4 (26-30, 28-28, 26-30, 26-30, 26-30).

Starting somewhat shakily in the first round with a point deduction warning, Kim traded blows by earning a 10-9 advantage from one of the judges.

However, despite fighting evenly in the second and third rounds, the judges raised Ankush's hand.

With this, South Korean boxing added two silver medals on this final day.

This marks the first time in 12 years that South Korean men's boxing has reached the Asian Games final stage since Shin Jong-hun and Ham Sang-myeong (who both won gold) at the 2014 Incheon Games.
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.