Last Update: January 05, 2023, 21:53 IST
In the much-anticipated semi-final clash, record six-time Asian medalist Shiva Thapa proved his worth by registering a remarkable win against 2019 world Championships bronze medalist Manish Kaushik on Thursday advanced to the finals of the 6th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championships in Hisar.
Assam’s Thapa and Services have clashed on several occasions in the past game Kaushik of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (SSCB) has produced some blockbuster contests and this match was no different. Both boxers started off on the offensive from the start and neither shied away from showing their power and dominating the other. As the bout progressed, Thapa used his experience to take command of the matchup, shrewdly watching his opponent’s attacks and dodge them with his quick feet while landing more accurate punches.
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In the end, the 2015 World Championships bronze medalist was able to dominate Kaushik and register a resounding 5-0 unanimous decision win. He will face 2019 World Youth Championships silver medalist Ankit Narwal, representing the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), in the final of the 63.5kg category.
2021 Asian champion Sanjeet (92kg), representing SSCB, showed strength to win comfortably against Himachal Pradesh’s Ashish Bhandor. Showcasing his power and supreme technical ability, Sanjeet gave his opponent no chance to come back in the bout and sealed his place in the finals after the referee stopped the contest (RSC) in the second round.
Sanjeet’s SSCB teammates, 2022 Asian Championships bronze medalist Sumit (75kg) and Narendra (+92kg) registered 5-0 wins in their semi-final bouts. Sumit defeated Tinderpal Singh of Punjab while Narendra defeated Jaipal Singh of Punjab to enter the finals.
Sagar (+92kg), representing RSPB, was up against Delhi’s Akash. The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist took his opponent lightly and will face off against Narendra in the final.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh’s Abhinash Jamwal defeated 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Rohit Tokas of RSPB in the semi-finals of 67kg. In a close contest, both the boxers gave it their all, but Jammwal’s determination helped him outmaneuver his counterpart and win 4-3 after a review of the bout. They will face Akash of SSCB in their final match.
Two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Mohd Hassamuddin, representing SSCB, defeated Himachal Pradesh’s Ashish Kumar by unanimous decision. He will take on Sachin of RSPB in the final of 57kg category.
The RSPB pair of Govind Sahni (48kg) and Varinder Singh (60kg) advanced to the finals with convincing 5-0 victories over Neeraj Swami of Delhi and Suni Chauhan of Uttar Pradesh respectively.
Final matches of all weight categories will be played on Friday.
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