Asian Youth Boxing Championships: Vanshaj, Preeti among six Indians in final
Indian boxers Vanshaj and Preeti stormed into the finals of the ASBC Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championships in Dubai. The duo, along with four other youth Indian boxers - Vishal (80kg), Preeti Dahiya (60kg), Simran Verma (52kg) and Sneha Kumari (66kg) - will be in action in the summit clashes.
Giving India a perfect start to the day, Vanshaj put up a splendid show against Iran’s Faridi Abolfazl to secure a dominating 5-0 win in the men’s 64kg semi-final.
Vishal further extended the winning momentum in the youth boys’ section. He was dominant during his victory against Kazakhstan’s Dauren Mamyr by unanimous decision.
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Meanwhile, Daksh Singh (67kg), Abhimanyu Loura (92kg) and Aman Singh Bisht (+92kg) lost their respective semifinals to end their campaigns with bronze medals.
Agressive boxing by Preeti
In the women’s semifinals, Preeti (57kg) and Preeti Dahiya registered contrasting victories in their respective bouts. The other two boxers, Simran and Sneha, were given walkovers.
Preeti’s aggressive approach throughout the match against Nepal’s Narika Rai saw the referee stop the contest in the third round and announce the Indian as the winner.
However, Preeti Dahiya had to work hard during her narrow 3-2 win against Uzbekistan’s Uktamova Rukhshona.
On the seventh day of the prestigious continental event, in which both the age groups — junior and youth — are being played together for the first time, five junior Indian boxers will play their semifinals at the Asian Junior Boxing Championships.
Among boys, Ashish (54kg) and Anshul (57kg) will be seen in action while Vishu Rathee (48kg), Tanu (52kg) and Nikita Chand (60kg) will fight in the girls’ category.
The on-going Asian Boxing Championships is a much-needed competitive tournament for promising young talent at the Asian level. This comes after a gap of a two year-hiatus due to the pandemic.
The Indian boxing contingent have already assured the country of more than 25 medals in the event.