PARIS, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- China's Li Qian defeated Atheyna Bibeichi Bylon of Panama in the women's 75kg gold medal match via a 4-1 split decision, while it was another golden night for Uzbekistan's men as the Olympic boxing tournament came to a close.
The gold marks China's third in the boxing competition.
Bylon started the first round content to fight behind her jab. However, Li was unfazed by the southpaw's jab and the unconvincing straight left that Bylon followed with, slipping on entry and scoring clean hooks and straights.
The second round tested Li's dirty boxing abilities as the fight moved into the clinch after nearly every flurry of punches Li threw on entry into Bylon's guard. With the referee slow to break up the clinch and Bylon not looking as comfortable in that position, Li was able to continue landing punches to the body and head.
Bylon came out aggressively in the third, looking for a spectacular finish to win gold. Despite outpointing Li, Bylon could not cause any meaningful damage to sway the judges to score the round 10-8.
Li's gold represents an upgrade on the silver she won in Tokyo. "It's been all about persistence. After losing in the Tokyo finals and earning a silver medal, if I had given up, I wouldn't have won this gold medal. There have been challenges along the way, but the support from my country and my team has helped me get here," Li reflected after the culmination of 12 years of boxing and medals of every color won in that time.
"My goal was always to win the gold medal. The biggest challenge was overcoming the urge to give up after losing a match. I had to constantly convince myself to keep going," Li added. "The highlight is definitely right now. As for regrets, I had some in the past, but when the referee raised my hand and I won the gold medal, all the regrets, the bitterness, and the exhaustion disappeared."
In the main event of the evening and tournament, Uzbekistan's Bakhodir Jalolov defeated Ayoub Ghadfa of Spain in the men's 92kg+ category.
Ghadfa started the fight trying to keep the powerful Uzbek at bay behind his jab while keeping his right hand high to avoid Jalolov's counter left straight. However, Jalolov was too good and managed to land combinations on the Spaniard.
Despite Ghadfa's caution, Jalolov broke through midway through the first round, prompting a standing seven count by the referee.
The second round was closer, with Ghadfa using his footwork and head movement more to create openings against the tall southpaw. Yet, despite the improvement from Ghadfa, Jalolov continued to score with combinations.
The third round saw Jalolov continue to show his class despite Ghadfa's valiant effort. Coasting through the final round, the Uzbek relied more on his jab and was even able to string together combinations using just his right hand.
The gold was Uzbekistan's fifth in boxing and Jalolov's second, following his Tokyo gold.
In the men's 57kg final earlier in the night, Uzbekistan's Abdumalik Khalokov defeated Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan to win the country's fourth boxing gold medal.
Khalokov, who had won every fight up to the final via unanimous decision, started sharply, picking apart the Kyrgyz fighter at will from the outside, utilizing his superior speed and range.
The gulf in quality became more apparent in the second round, as Khalokov even found time to dance between combinations that were landing at will. Despite Seiitbek Uulu's valiant attempts at resistance, the head movement and precision of the Uzbek proved too much.
Following the clear unanimous decision, Khalokov sank to his knee before celebrating with his trademark backflip in the middle of the ring.
