Shiva Thapa leads 5 Indians into semis on Day 2 of Asian Boxing Championships
India enjoyed yet another glittering day at the ongoing Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai as five pugilists won their respective quarterfinal bouts on Tuesday. The only blemish on an otherwise flawless day for the contingent was Mohammad Hussamuddin's loss to Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov in the men’s 56kg quarterfinals.
Shiva Thapa, who won gold in the 2013 edition of the Asian Boxing Championships, started with a thumping win in the men’s 64kg. He outpunched Kuwait’s Nader Odah 5-0 to enter the semifinals and assure himself of a record fifth Asian Boxing Championships medal.
The Assamese produced a fine display of attacking boxing throughout the bout, giving Odah no chance to open his arms. Thapa, who also has a silver (2017) and two bronze (2015, 2019) medals from the event, will face top seed Bakhodur Usmonov of Tajikistan in the semis.
In the men’s 91kg, Sanjeet Kumar defeated Jasur Qurbonov of Tajikistan 5-0 to make it to the last-four stage of the Asian Boxing Championships. He will be up against last edition’s silver medallist Sanjar Tursunov of Uzbekistan for a place in the final.
Simranjit among Indian winners on Day 2 of Asian Boxing Championships
Among the women, Tokyo Olympics-bound Simranjit Kaur made a perfect start to her campaign with a 4-1 win over Uzbekistan’s Raykhona Kodirova in 60kg quarterfinals. She will face Rimma Volossenko of Kazakhstan in the semis.
Sakshi scored a stunning 5-0 win over Ruhafza Haqazarova of Tajikistan in the 54kg category. She will face a stiff challenge from top seed Dina Zholaman of Kazakhstan in her quest to claim a spot in the summit clash.
In the women’s 57kg, Jasmine edged Mongolia’s Oyuntsetseg Yesugen 4-1 to book her semifinal date with Vladislava Kukhta of Kazakhstan.
However, it was curtains for Hussamuddin as he went down 1-4 against reigning world champion and top seed Mirzahalilov. The Uzbek didn’t allow the Indian to settle down as he landed fierce punches from the onset. Hussamuddin tried to come back with counter-attacking punches but it wasn’t enough for the Indian.