In 2001 he lost the final to Turkish legend Ramaz Paliani but two years later he gained the gold medal at the World Championships. He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but was defeated in the quarterfinals by Alexei Tichtchenko of Russia, who eventually won the competition. Jafarov qualified for the Athens Games by winning the gold medal at the 2004 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines. In the final he defeated South Korea's Jo Seok-Hwan.