OVER 12 months have now passed since the boxing gold medallists were crowned at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. It’s now fitting to take a look at what each of the male champions have achieved since accomplishing their dreams.
Flyweight (51 kg) – Hasanboy Dusmatov (Uzbekistan)
Hasanboy Dusmatov, 7-0 (5 KOs), became a two-time Olympic champion last year, eight years on from his triumph at Rio 2016, but fought six times professionally in-between, as well as in two IBA contests.
Last month, Dusmatov ended an official 20-month spell of pro inactivity by outpointing Mark Antonio in an eight-round super-flyweight affair in Kyrgyzstan.
The Uzbek is set to campaign in the flyweight division and is ranked at #8 and #13 with both the IBF and WBC at 112lb, respectively.
Featherweight (57 kg) – Abdumalik Khalokov (Uzbekistan)
Abdumalik Khalokov, 2-0 (2 KOs), had fought once professionally before his Olympic campaign and the 25-year-old, who did not drop a round in Paris, seems destined to be a threat once he resumes his career.
Khalokov returned to the pro scene in February, boxing on a low-profile card in Sevilla, Spain, against Marlembron Acuna. It took the Tashkent-born contender just three rounds to dispatch of Acuna before plans to enter the WBC Grand Prix were disrupted due to injury.
In June, Khalokov returned to the amateurs and won the Eindhoven Cup in Netherlands, defeating Great Britain’s Jack Dryden in the final.
Khalokov’s place in Uzbekistan’s preliminary squad for the 2025 World Championships in Liverpool this September has been confirmed, as he searches for a second World Championship win.
Lightweight (63.5 kg) – Erislandy Álvarez (Cuba)
Cuba’s Erislandy Álvarez, 5-0 (2 KOs), was a surprise victor in Paris and overcame tournament favourite and Frenchman Sofiane Oumiha impressively in the final.
Just 20 days later, Álvarez returned to action in an IBA contest against Jose Munoz and secured a comfortable victory but waited until April 2025 to improve upon his 3-0 professional record.
On home soil in Cuba, Álvarez knocked out Brainer Vasquez Soli in the opening round to claim the WBA Continental Americas super-lightweight title. He then defended the belt in June against Eduardo Costa Do Nascimento in a 10-round decision win in Argentina.
As a result, Álvarez now finds himself ranked as the world #15 with the WBA and could soon emerge as a title contender in the 140lb division.
Welterweight (71 kg) – Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev (Uzbekistan)
Muydinkhujaev followed up his 2023 World Championship win with an Olympic gold medal last year, trumping highly-rated American welterweight prospect Omari Jones in the semi-final before overcoming Mexico’s Marco Verde in the final.
The 24-year-old had fought in two IBA contests prior to Paris but has not returned since or made his professional debut. Instead Muydinkhujaev continues to compete in the amateurs, but lost by referee stoppage to Kazakhstan’s Ablaikhan Zhussupov in the final of the Eindhoven Cup.
Like Khalokov, he too was announced for Uzbekistan’s preliminary squad for next month’s World Championships.
Middleweight (80 kg) – Oleksandr Khyzhniak (Ukraine)
A fan-favourite ahead of the Games, Oleksandr Khyzhniak bounced back from heartbreak in Tokyo to go one better than his silver medal at the 2020 Games, notably defeating Cuba’s Arlen Lopez in the semi-final and then Nurbek Oralbay to capture gold in Paris.
The 30-year-old is yet to fight since but has revealed plans to target a second in 2028 at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, with his return to the amateurs pencilled in for early 2026.
Meanwhile, Khyzhniak is also reportedly eyeing up a professional debut next year, hoping to compete simultaneously across both codes.
Heavyweight (92 kg) – Lazizbek Mullojonov (Uzbekistan)
Mullojonov, 6-0 (6 KOs), was another unexpected triumphant in France, with legendary Cuban Julio Cesar La Cruz expected to secure a third Olympic gold medal by the vast majority beforehand. Yet, it was the Uzbek who came out on top, with a 5-0 decision victory against Cuban-Azerbaijani Loren Alonso in the final.
The 26-year-old southpaw boasted an eye-catching 4-0 professional record prior to the Olympics, with all four victories coming via first-round knockout, but that theme has since ended.
Mullojonov shook off the ring rust with a second-round knockout of Ruslan Miraimov in Tashkent before entering the WBC Grand Prix, halting Marvin Mendoza in the Round of 32 and then outpointing Youness Baalla in the Round of 16 in June.
However, it was then revealed that Mullojonov had tested positive for methasterone prior to his victory against Baalla. The result of that bout has now been made a no contest, and it was instead Baalla who advanced to the quarterfinals, only to be defeated by Dante Stone.
Mullojonov maintains his innocence, backed by the Uzbekistan Boxing Federation, suggesting that he may have ingested the prohibited substance through a 2024 hair transplant. Still, he remains provisionally suspended by the International Testing Agency.
Super-Heavyweight (+92 kg) – Bakhodir Jalolov (Uzbekistan)
The inclusion of Bakhodir Jalolov, 15-0 (14 KOs), was criticised by some fans ahead of Paris 2024 and the two-time world champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion showed exactly why, with a dominant showing throughout culminating in a second gold medal.
Still, the frustrations regarding the slow professional progression of Jalolov remain, with the 31-year-old yet to fight a recognised world level operator in the heavyweight division, despite proving time and time again that he is capable of mixing it with the best.
Since last summer, Jalolov has fought just once and perhaps showed the reason behind his lack of movement through the levels, going the distance for the first time in his career when tasked with Ihor ‘Hulk’ Shevadzutskyi in Kazakhstan back in April.
‘The Big Uzbek’ was then scheduled to compete against Gianmarco Cardillo in July, until an injury to the latter caused the cancellation of the bout. Fans are now eagerly awaiting a fight announcement – hopeful of one that could further test the skills of Jalolov.
Nevertheless, Jalolov remains well ranked (WBC #8, WBO #10 & IBF #13) in the heavyweight division. Although, his supporters are beginning to lose patience with his uninspiring matchmaking.
