Six-time Asian Championships medalist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Amit Panghal (51kg) and Sagar (92+kg) maintained their impressive form to enter their respective finals of the 7th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championships in Shillong after registering contrasting victories on Thursday.
Representing Assam, Thapa showcased his experience as he secured a commanding victory over Harivansh Tawari of Maharashtra with a perfect score of 5-0. The previous edition’s gold medalist will face Vanshaj of Services in the final.
On the other hand, Panghal, who represents Services, went head to head against Ankit of the Railway Sports Promotion Board. The bout was closely contested throughout but the highly experienced 28-year-old maintained his composure in the crucial moments of the game to get past his opponent in a 5-2 split decision win. The 2019 World Championships silver medalist will now face Anshul Punia of Chandigarh in the final.
In another gripping encounter, Sagar, representing Railways, faced Vishal Kumar of Delhi in his semi-final bout. Sagar’s skillset and power-packed punches were on full display as he dominated the match, securing the victory with a 5-0 score. The 2022 Commonwealth games silver medalist will face off against Jaipal Singh of Punjab in the gold medal match.
Adding to the winning streak, the 2021 Asian champion, Sanjeet (92kg) from Services got the better of his opponent Vicky of All India Police. Sanjeet was at the top of his game and dominated the proceedings to grab the win by unanimous decision. Sanjeet will be up against Naveen Kumar of Haryana in the final.
The other Services boxers that qualified for the finals include Barun Singh (48kg), Pawan (54kg), Sachin (57kg), Akash (60kg), Vanshaj (63.5kg), Rajat (67kg), Akash (71kg), Deepak (75kg), Lakshya (80kg) and Jugnoo (86kg).
Services have secured 12 medals to lead the medal tally at the ongoing 7th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championships.