Kazakhstan boxing team captain Aibek Oralbay has advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Asian Games and guaranteed himself at least a bronze medal. In the quarterfinals of the over-90 kg weight category, the Kazakhstani defeated Myrzakir Koshaliyev of Kyrgyzstan by unanimous decision – 5:0. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
For Oralbay, this bout was his first at the tournament. Koshaliyev had previously defeated Turkmenistan's Dovlet Islamov by split decision – 3:2.
Oralbay's semifinal fight will take place on September 29. His opponent will be Narender from India.
Oralbay competes in the over-90 kg category. In 2025, the Kazakhstani became World Boxing world champion, and in the current season he won the Asian Championship and a World Cup stage in China.
In the women's tournament, two-time world champion Aida Abikeeva ended her medal quest. In the quarterfinals of the up-to-65 kg category, the Kazakhstani lost to China's Li Shu by judges' decision – 0:4.
Earlier, Makhmud Sabyrkhan and Nurbek Oralbay advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Games, while Viktoria Grafeeva finished her performance after a defeat to Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting.