"Poltava tank" won a ticket to the quarterfinals.
Ukrainian boxer Alexander Khizhnyak successfully began his performances at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris.
In his opening fight in the weight category up to 80 kg, “Poltava Tank” defeated Philip Akilov, who represents Hungary, by a split decision: 29:27, 30:26, 28:28, 29:27, 30:26.
Note that Akilov is a native of Ukraine, who was born in Bakhmut. At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, he left occupied Mariupol and now competes under the Hungarian flag.
Khizhnyak’s opponent in the quarter finals will be Cedric Beloni-Duliepre from Haiti or the Brazilian Wanderlei Pereira. The quarterfinals are scheduled for August 2.
Khizhnyak is a silver medalist at the 2020 Olympics. At the Tokyo Games, he competed in the weight category up to 75 kg and lost by knockout in the final, missing the chance to win a gold medal.
It was previously reported that Ukrainian boxer Dmitry Lovchinsky (weight over 92 kg) lost by knockout in the first round of the 2024 Olympics.
Another representative of Ukraine Aider Abduraimov (weight up to 57 kg) will start from the 1/8 finals on Wednesday, July 31.