Thailand Open boxing: Tokyo Olympian Ashish Kumar returns to the ring with 5-0 win to make semis
Manisha Moun (women’s 75kg) also advanced. Meanwhile, Monika (women’s 48kg) beat two-time world championships medallist Josie Gabuco of the Philippines.
Indian boxers Ashish Kumar and Manisha Moun punched their way into the semi-finals of their respective categories at the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament 2022 in Phuket on Sunday.
Returning to the ring for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics, Ashish Kumar dominated Thailand’s Aphisit Khankhokkhruea in the men’s 81kg quarter-finals and won by unanimous decision. Ashish Kumar had won gold at the last edition in 2019 while competing in the 75kg category.
Manisha Moun, who recently qualified for the upcoming world championships as well as Asian Games, meanwhile, registered a hard-fought 3-2 win over the two-time youth Asian champion Porntip Buapa of Thailand in the women’s 57kg.
Indian boxer Monika (women’s 48kg) also progressed to the top four with a stunning 4-1 win over two-time world championships medallist Josie Gabuco of the Philippines.
Monika will face Vietnam’s Tran Thi Diem Kieu, who received a bye in the last round, in the semi-finals.
Renu (women’s 54kg) and Monika (women’s 63kg) made early exits following defeats in their respective quarter-finals.
While Renu lost 3-2 against the under-22 European champion Sirine Charaabi of Italy, Monika was handed a defeat by RSC (referee stops contest) verdict against local favourite Panpatchara Somnuek.
On the third day of the competition on Tuesday, Sumit (men’s 75kg) and Gaurav Chauhan (men’s 91kg) will compete in the quarter-finals against Kazakhstan’s Timur Nurseitov and current Youth Olympics champion Aibek Oralbay, respectively.
The Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament will conclude on April 10. India had named a total of 15 boxers – eight men and seven women – for the meet.