The match, which took place from December 2-13 in Dubai under the auspices of the IBA, ended for Halokov with a score of 3:4. In the final, 55 seconds before the end of the third round, a scandalous moment occurred: in a clinch, Shumkov bit Halokov on the ear. The referee did not react to this incident, which became a topic of discussion on social media.
He added that such actions are unacceptable: “This is not dog fighting to bite an opponent.”
Ruziohunov also said he did not notice this moment in the ring, as Halokov “never complained.”
For his part, Abdu Malik Halokov, responding to the question of why the team did not file a complaint, stated: “We are just men.”
The Boxing Federation of Uzbekistan has not yet made any official statements regarding filing a protest based on the results of the match.
At the IBA World Championship, the Uzbekistan national team won 9 medals (2 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze) and took third place in the overall team standings, behind only Russia (7−5−1) and Kazakhstan (3−1−2). Championship titles were won by Hasanboy Dusmatov, who was also recognized as the “Best Boxer of the Tournament,” and Asadhuzha Muydinhuzhaev (+video of the matches).
The IBA World Championship 2025 set a record for the prize fund — 8.3 million euros. The prizes for individual achievements were distributed as follows:
- 1st place — 300 thousand dollars
- 2nd place — 150 thousand dollars
- 3rd place — 75 thousand dollars
- 5th place — 10 thousand dollars
The tournament was organized by the IBA under the leadership of Umar Kremlov, although this organization was stripped of recognition by the International Olympic Committee due to management issues, lack of transparency in funding, and violations in judging. In light of the conflict with the IOC, these competitions were almost excluded from the Olympic system. In 2023, a new structure called World Boxing was created, after which the IOC officially included boxing in the program of the 2028 Olympic Games.
Similar Incident in 2024
In December 2024, boxer Khavasbek Asadullaev became the Asian champion in the weight category up to 71 kg, defeating Kazakhstani Ablaikhan Zhusupov. However, during the fight, he bit his opponent on the shoulder. After a protest was filed by the Boxing Federation of Kazakhstan, the technical delegate of the ASBC disqualified Asadullaev for violating the rules. The gold medal was awarded to Zhusupov.
