Olympian Shiva Thapa makes winning start at Asian Boxing Championships
Three Indian boxers took to the ring on the opening day in Dubai. While Shiva Thapa and Mohammad Hussamuddin won their first round, Sumit Sangwan lost.
Indian boxers Shiva Thapa and Mohammad Hussamuddin kicked off their 2021 Asian Boxing Championships on a winning note in Dubai on Monday while Sumit Sangwan made an early exit.
The three Indians were contesting the preliminary rounds.
Up first for India, Mohammad Hussamuddin won his bout against Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan by unanimous decision in a close-range slugfest.
Both Hussamuddin and Sabyrkhan traded blows throughout their fight but the Indian connected better while his footwork and defence ensured that Hussamuddin evaded most of the Kazakh’s punches.
Hussamuddin worked his combinations well and landed occasional hooks to seal the bout 5-0. The Indian southpaw will now face top seed and reigning world champion Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov of Uzbekistan in the quarter-final on Tuesday.
India’s second bout of the day witnessed two-time Olympian Shiva Thapa put on a dominant showing against Kazakhstan’s Dmitrii Puchinn in the 64kg.
Thapa, a four-time Asian medallist and 2013 champion, was in command from the outset. He consistently landed stiff jabs to Puchinn’s face while thwarting the Kazakh’s attempts to connect with smart movement and footwork.
Thapa grew stronger as the bout progressed and managed to connect with a large percentage of his punches in the final round to emerge victorious by unanimous decision.
Up next for Shiva Thapa is Kuwait's Nader Odah.
In the 81kg, London 2012 Olympian Sumit Sangwan lost 5-0 in an intense fight against Iran’s Meysam Gheshlaghi in a bout where both boxers suffered a cut above their eye.
Sumit Sangwan tried to use his long reach but was undone by Meysam Gheshlaghi, who rained blows from close range while landing occasional powerful hooks and sharp upper cuts.
Six Indian boxers -- three men and three women -- will be in action in the Asian Boxing Championships quarter-finals on Tuesday including Olympic-bound Simranjit Kaur. MC Mary Kom will fight directly in the semi-finals on Friday.
India sent a 19-member team, including seven Tokyo Olympics-bound Indian boxers, to the Asian championships where 150 boxers from 17 countries are participating.
India’s best performance at the Asian Boxing Championships came in the last edition in 2019 in Bangkok where they won 13 medals, including two golds.