BASL Chief Selector on lessons from Asian U22 and Youth Boxing Championships: ‘We now know where we stand in Asia’

By Allaam Ousman 

Chairman of the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) Selection Committee, F. H. Abdulla Ibunu, has offered a candid assessment of Sri Lanka’s performance at the ASBC Asian Youth and Under-22 Boxing Championships held in Colombo, acknowledging the country’s position in the Asian boxing hierarchy while outlining future strategies.
“We initially selected 43 boxers and pruned the list down to 33 after several sparring (selection) sessions to finalise the team,” said Ibunu. “As hosts, we had the rare privilege of including a maximum number of entries, and we wanted to take this opportunity to assess our boxers’ current standard against the best in Asia,” explaining the rationale behind fielding an expanded squad. Although the medal tally fell short of golden expectations, Sri Lanka managed to reach five finals - an encouraging sign according to Ibunu. 
“We took a chance to see what standard we can achieve. Most of our bouts were against Kazakhstan and although we lost, we put up a fight,” he noted.
Kazakhstan, a regional powerhouse, dominated most weight categories and Sri Lankan boxers were tested to their limits. “Now we have a better understanding of where we stand in Asia. We fought bravely, but technically and physically we are still below the top teams,” Ibunu admitted.
The tournament also revealed certain gaps, particularly in the Women’s divisions. “Unfortunately, our women boxers delivered below-par performances. While the Fernando sisters - Sachini and Yashini - went the distance in their bouts we didn’t prepare them to survive three rounds - we trained them to win,” he said. 
“Still, going the full distance against strong Asian opponents especially in the toughest boxing continent, is in itself a moral victory.”
Highlighting individual performances, Ibunu noted that Youth medallist Sathsara Warnakulasooriya (48kg) and Hansitha 
Jayathissa (57kg) performed well in their opening bouts but were ultimately outpointed by their Kazakh counterparts. “Middleweight Mohammed Usaith was a revelation - he was the one who battled into the finals. Even Umayanga Mihiran, who we had pinned hopes on for gold, gave it everything but was stunned early on by a punch,” he added.
Reflecting on the selection process, Ibunu emphasised that all boxers were picked based on results from the selection meet and subsequent sparring sessions. 
“Selections may vary from tournament to tournament. For European competitions, this squad might not be suitable. We prioritise heavier weight categories like 75kg to 80kg from the senior pool, where we have strong boxers from the Tri-Forces and Police,” he clarified.
Ibunu said this tournament has helped identify about 10 promising boxers who could be groomed for the 2028 Olympics. “We’ve made a huge investment, including accommodating our boxers in the same hotel as the foreign delegations to give them the full championship experience,” he noted. 
“Now we know what to expect when we host future international events.”
Looking ahead, he called for overseas training opportunities and more exposure. “There are Asian and European tournaments coming up and we must be strategic about which boxers to send where. This tournament was a steppingstone and from here, we build.”