Five time Asian Championships medalist Shiva Thapa, Sachin and Amit Kumar all progressed to the quarterfinals of the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan on Friday.
Thapa (63.5kg) was up against Mongolia’s Byambatsogt Tuguldur in the pre-quarterfinal bout. Both boxers went toe-to-toe from the start and landed some heavy blows on each other, making it a very close contest.
In the end, it was the distinguished Indian boxer’s experience and quick movement that helped him prevail over the opponent and secure a 3-2 victory by split decision in this fiercely contested bout.
Kumar (67kg) faced Chinese Taipei’s Zheng-Rong Huang and the Indian was dominant throughout the game, showcasing high technical ability and tremendous confidence as he cruised through to the next round with a unanimous verdict.
Sachin (71kg) went down in the first round against Thailand’s Peerapat Yeasungnoen but produced a stunning comeback in the next two rounds to secure a 5:0 win in a nail biting finish.
Thapa will take on the winner of the bout between Haidara Alasaly and Minsu Choi in the quarterfinals. Kumar will square off against Muydinkhujaev Asadkhuja of Uzbekistan while Sachin will face Kazakhstan’s Aslanbek Shybergenov in the next round.
Seven Indian women puligists including Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Lovlina will be kicking off their campaign from the quarter-final stage on Saturday.
Lovlina, who has changed her weight category from 69kg will be playing her first international tournament in the 75kg weight category as she takes to the ring against the 2016 World Champion, Valentina Khalzova of Kazakhstan.
The six other boxers who will be in action are Minakshi (52kg), Sakshi (54kg), Preeti (57kg), Parveen (63kg), Ankushita (66kg) and Pooja (70kg).
The competition is witnessing the participation of 267 boxers from 27 top boxing nations.
Quarterfinal lineup for Saturday (all timings in IST)
1- 3.45 pm: (52 kg) Minakshi vs Irish Magno (THA)
2- 5.15 pm: (54 kg) Sakshi vs Hsiao Wen (TPE)
3- 5.45 pm: (57 kg) Preeti vs Turdibekova (UZB)
4- 9.30 pm: (63 kg) Parveen vs Panpatchara (THA)
5- 10.30 pm: (66 kg) Ankushita Borah vs Tsubata Asisa (JPN)
6- 11.00 pm: (70 kg) Pooja vs Dariga (KAZ)
7- 11.15 pm: (75 kg) Lovlina vs Valentina (KAZ)