NEW DELHI: Experienced pugilists Shiva Thapa and Hussamuddin began their campaign at 74th Strandja Memorial International Boxing Tournament on a winning note in Sofia, Bulgaria on Tuesday.
Shiva Thapa (63.5 kg) faced Frederik Jensen Lundgaard in the round of 32 match and started the bout with an aggressive approach. He displayed swift movements and landed some quick jabs on his opponent to gain an early lead in the first round.
The second round also went the Indian boxer’s way as he dominated his opponent. Thapa used his experience and top-notch skills to dodge his opponent’s attacks. He maintained a safe distance in the third round and only went into attacking mode when there was a clear opening in Lundgaard’s defence. The difference between their experience was evident in the scoreline as Thapa won the match by 5-0 and progressed into the next round of the tournament.
Hussamuddin (57kg) also looked confident and dominated China’s Lyu Ping from the start of the bout. The Indian boxer was in control throughout the bout, as he landed accurate punches at his opponent. He asserted dominance over his Chinese counterpart in every round and eventually registered a 4-1 victory to progress into the pre-quarters.
Nishant Dev (71kg) went down 2-3 against Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Aidan Walsh of Ireland and bowed out of the competition.
On the other hand, three female pugilists won their respective matches late on monday night and progressed into the next round of the tournament.
Kalaivani (48kg) defeated Tesara Cleo of the Philippines 5-0 while Anamika (50kg) got the better of China’s Chang Yuan 5-0 to progress into the next round of the tournament. Vinakshi (57kg) won her bout against Azerbaijin’s Hamzayeva Aghamaliyeva Mashati by 4-1.
Ankushita Boro (66kg) crashed out of the tournament after going down 1-4 against reigning World Champion Amy Broadhust of Ireland.
Later four more Indian pugilists will begin their respective campaigns.
2021 World Youth Champion Sachin will go up against Henrik Sahakyan in the bantamweight (54kg) division and will look to start the tournament on a high note. Sachin recently bagged a gold medal in the 6th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championship. On the other hand, Sahil will square off against Vladimir Mironchikov of Serbia in the 80kg division. Akash (67kg) will take on Rosen Markov of Bulgaria, while Kartik will be up against Bekzat Tangatar of Kazakhstan in the 86kg category. The prestigious tournament is witnessing the participation of 398 pugilists, including 256 men and 142 women which is the highest ever in the competition’s history. (Agencies)
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