Rio 2016 Olympics boxing results: Shakhobidin Zoirov wins gold for Uzbekistan

Shakhobidin Zoirov continued the strong run for the Uzbekistan team in Rio, winning the gold medal at flyweight in a very close bout with Russia’s Misha Aloyan.

Zoirov won all three judges’ scorecards, 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28, taking the fight with an unanimous third frame. The 23-year-old Zoirov is the second gold medalist from Uzbekistan thus far, and they have one more shot today in the light welterweight division. A third gold medal would tie Cuba for tops at the 2016 Olympics.

It was a big win, obviously, for Zoirov, and a crushing defeat for Aloyan, the 27-year-old veteran who won bronze four years ago in London, and leaves Rio with silver. If he returns in 2020, he’ll be 31 years old, which may push him a bit past his prime, and with a potential influx of more professional fighters in four years (not that the three who tried did well this year, mind you), it could be an even tougher go in Tokyo.

Zoirov joins countryman Hasanboy Dusmatov for a double shot of gold medals at light flyweight and flyweight. Bronze medals go to Yoel Finol of Venezuela and Jianguan Hu of China.