Boxing nationals: Shiva Thapa gathers steam, in semis

Bellary, September 19

Five-time Asian Championships medallist Shiva Thapa entered the semifinals of boxing’s National Championships with a thrilling win over Ankit Narwal here today.

The Assam boxer showed great footwork and used all his experience to put pressure on his RSPB opponent with precise punches. Though Thapa faced a stiff challenge, he did not let the momentum slip and completed a 4-1 win in the 63.5kg quarterfinals.

For RSPB, Sachin and Varinder Singh (60kg) emerged victors. Sachin outperformed Goa’s Roshan Zamir by a unanimous margin in the 54kg category. The 2021 Asian Championships bronze medallist Varinder defeated Inderjit Singh of Daman, Diu and Nagar Haveli 5-0.

Uttar Pradesh’s Ravi Kumar advanced in the 48kg division over Odisha’s Santosh Pradhan.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin of SSCB extended his winning run as he knocked out Maharashtra’s Rushikesh Gaud to enter the 57kg semis.

Meanwhile, reigning youth world champion Sachin was again impressive in an easy 5-0 win over Jitendra Chaudhary of Rajasthan in the 57kg category.

Punjab pugilists Vijay Kumar (60kg) and Rajpinder Singh (54kg) registered identical 5-0 victories and ensured themselves at least a bronze. While Vijay made light work of Manipur’s Myson Moirangthem Manipur, Rajpinder got the better of Vishal Sheokand of Chandigarh. — PTI