The fight between Jafarov of Uzbekistan and local undefeated boxer  Shaiken was the headline of the IBA Champions' Night in Almaty. There was an upset. Jafarov defeated the favourite and was crowned IBA Asian Champion winning the 71kg division.

The IBA continues its commitment to the sport of boxing and the organisation of events that contribute to the development of boxers' talents and the growth of their careers.

Shaiken had won nine out of nine fights in his professional career going into the main event. Jafarov was seeking the title after winning a silver medal at the 2023 IBA Men's World Boxing Championship and back-to-back Asian titles.

Jafarov was bold and came out swinging from the outset, landing the majority of the punches. Though Shaiken also managed to inflict some damage. It was in the sixth round when the Uzbek boxer landed a left cross to really take control on points. In the penultimate round, Jafarov was rocked by Shaiken's compact left uppercut to the chin. The final three minutes saw many good punches landed, but once again most came from Jafarov, who eventually secured victory.

Elsewhere on the Champions' Night card, one fight that stood out was Kazakhstan's Bekzad Nurdauletov, who continued his unbeaten professional record by ending the streak of Dominican Republic's Luis Antonio Tejeda in their eight-round 80kg bout. Tejeda surprised Nurdauletov with a combination in the seventh round. He kept Nurdauletov on his toes, but couldn't do enough to win. Nurdauletov won by unanimous decision.

Kazakhstan's Ali Akhmedov made quick work of his 76.2kg opponent Carlos Luis Rivero of Venezuela, stopping him in less than six minutes. In just over a minute, Akhmedov had Rivero cornered, forcing a knockdown and an eight count. Rivero fell to his knees again in the second round. The towel was thrown in by his corner to ensure no further pain was inflicted.

Ecuador's Abel Mina defeated Magomed Madiev of Russia in the -75kg bout in one of the best performances of the night. It was one of the best performances as the Ecuadorian was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

Farukh Tokhtassunov of the host nation would turn the tables. He would defeat Russia's Yuri Osipov in their 71kg bout. Tokhtassunov knew what he was capable of if he could knock the Russian down. Tokhtassunov continued to work hard. Eventually he changed the course and sealed a popular victory.

Meanwhile, Davlat Boltaev of Tajikistan made his professional debut against Sagandyk Togambay of Kazakhstan and won the 92kg contest. Tenacity in the final rounds rewarded the Asian Games champion Boltaev with victory after a very tough and intense fight.

Bekman Soilbayev of Kazakhstan won a tight 60kg bout against Davit Azizyan of Armenia. In the end, it was the Kazakh boxer who emerged victorious.

Temirtas Zhussupov of Kazakhstan gave the younger Anvarzhan Khodziev of Kyrgyzstan a lesson in their successful 48kg bout in a tale of experience versus youth. A clean punch in the third round sent the Kyrgyz to his knees and the decision was never in doubt.

Finally, Armenian Artush Hovhannisyan caught Adlan Selmurzayev several times with precision. The Kazakh was saved by the bell after a barrage of punches at the end of the fourth round. He didn't return until the fifth, when Selmurzayev retired midway through the round, allowing Hovhannisyan to win the 79.6kg bout.

Everything is ready for the next Champions' Night in Madrid. The best of boxing soon returns to the Spanish capital with a star-studded line-up and a clash between the boxers who have qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics.