South Korea's men's boxing team, chasing its first Asian Games gold in 12 years, closed the competition with two silver medals. Jang Dong-hwan, 22, and Kim Min-sung, 21, classmates at Korea National Sport University, each came away with hard-earned silver.
Jang lost by unanimous decision, 0-5 (27-30, 27-30, 27-30, 28-29, 27-30), to Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan in the men's 60-kilogram final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on the 2nd at Nishio Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Khalokov is the world's top-ranked boxer in the division, having swept the Asian Championships, the world championships, the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Jang's run to the final had been commanding. In the round of 16 he beat Orazbek Asylkulov of Kazakhstan, a leading title contender, 4-1, then overwhelmed Akmal Ubaydov of Tajikistan 5-0 in the semifinals. Asylkulov won the International Boxing Association world championship at 57 kilograms last year and this year's Asian Championships at 60 kilograms, while Ubaydov took bronze at last year's world championships.
Jang went toe-to-toe with Khalokov from the opening bell. When the Uzbek used weaving to probe for openings, Jang answered with flurries of his own and pressed forward. One judge scored the first round for Jang, 10-9, a measure of how even the exchange was.
The gap opened in the second round. Jang gave up the round on every card, 9-10, as Khalokov's superior ring generalship took over, and in the third the Uzbek slowed the pace deliberately to close out the win.
In the men's 80-kilogram final that followed, Kim also took silver. He fought hard against India's Ankush but lost on points, 0-4 (26-30, 28-28, 26-30, 26-30, 26-30). Kim had reached the final with an upset in the round of 16, beating Sabirzhan Akkalykov of Kazakhstan, this year's Asian Championships winner at 75 kilograms, 3-2, but could not clear the final hurdle.
The two medals came on the closing day of the competition. It was the first time South Korean men's boxers had reached an Asian Games final since the 2014 Incheon Games, where Shin Jong-hun and Ham Sang-myung both won gold. No Asian Games gold has followed since 2014, and at the 2024 Paris Olympics only Im Ae-ji in the women's division medaled, taking South Korean boxing's first Olympic bronze, with no men's boxer reaching the podium. Gold stayed out of reach, but Jang and Kim delivered a first final appearance in 12 years and matching silvers, signaling that South Korean men's boxing may be on its way back.
