Pune: The usual suspects did not disappoint at the boxing men’s Nationals, thanks to the seedings, which saw the big names assured of a relatively safe passage, at least till the semi-finals.
Gaurav Bidhuri (56 kg) was edged out by a plucky Madan Lal in the final but in terms of fitness and endurance, the world championship bronze medallist had done enough to show that he was back in the reckoning.
Arjuna awardee Satish Kumar (91+ kg) hardy broke into a sweat, while in the heavyweight category it was always going to be a toss up between Sanjeet and Naman Tanwar. The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist’s open-guard stance was exposed by Sanjeet, who earned a 3:2 split-decision win.
PL Prasad hauled his way back in the reckoning by winning his sixth Nationals gold but nearly survived a scare in the final against a resilient Ananta Chopade of Maharashtra. Here, we take a look at some of the lesser known names who made an impact at the Nationals, which was dominated by the Services.
PL Prasad (52 kg) – Services
The diminutive Prasad is hardly a lesser-known name in the national circuit but there was a lot riding on the 23-year-old. A shoulder injury had put him out of the game for more than a year.
During this time, Sachin Siwach and Gaurav Solanki had pushed him behind in the pecking order. With Asian Games champion Amit Panghal also planning to move to 52 kg, Prasad still has some way to go before becoming India’s no 1 choice in the flyweight category.
Prasad had a smooth passage till the semi-finals, where he faced Sachin. The Services boxer was a revelation with his footwork and his courage. Prasad was not afraid to set the tone, moving up close and surprising his opponents with a flurry of punches. Against Sachin, he used body punches to good effect and earned a win by unanimous decision. Prasad narrowly defeated Maharashtra’s Ananata Chopade in the final to win gold.
Ananta Chopade (52 kg) – Maharashtra
Ananta Chopade almost pulled off an extraordinary upset in the final of the 52 kg event against Prasad. The 20-year-old has played in the Nationals before and his speed, ring coverage, and tactical awareness stood out. A tearful Ananta sunk to his knees after going down 2:3 in the final, and won hearts.
“I had to work very hard to get to where I am,” the 20-year-old from Akola told Scroll.in. “I just had one aim, which was to win gold. However, I wish I had a little bit of luck in my favour.”
Moovendran (60 kg) – Tamil Nadu
Moovendran was a treat to watch in the quarter-finals, against Karnataka’s Kartik. The 20-year-old’s sharp reflexes from close range, and the manner in which he counter-punched after being second best in the first round, stood out during the bout.
Moovendran, though, was halted in his tracks by reigning champion Manish Kaushik in the semi-finals. The boxer from Tamil Nadu had hoped to do well against Manish but was hampered by a wrist injury in his left hand. “My coaches and teammates were shouting at me to move towards my right and use my left hand, but I had damaged it severely in the quarters.”
Deepak (49 kg) – Services
Deepak’s smooth ring coverage and fortitude in the ring has drawn widespread praise in the past too. Not for the first time, Deepak walked away with the best boxer award at the Nationals.
Himanshu Sharma of Punjab had comfortably downed each and every one of his opponents en route to the final of the light-fly category. Himanshu had no answer in the summit event. Both boxers’ strength is unleashing a flurry of punches from close range, a duel that Deepak won with aplomb.
Duryodhan Singh Negi (69 kg) – Services
It would have been interesting to see how Duryodhan matched up to veteran Manoj Kumar, who didn’t participate in the event. The duo had an intense tussle a couple of years ago at the Nationals.
The Army-man-turned-boxer was ruthless with his hard-hitting style and cruised into the finals, where faced Railways’ Dinesh. Duryodhan was dominant from round one, and Dinesh got a standing count. The 33-year-old emerged victorious by a unanimous decision. Duryodhan’s technique may not be refined but is a tough nut to crack. His opponents had no answer to his cuts and hooks.