Shillong: Shiva Thapa, a six-time Asian Championships medalist (63.5kg), and Amit Panghal, the 2019 World Championships silver medalist (51kg), maintained their impressive form by securing victories and advancing to the quarterfinals on day four of the 7th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championships in Shillong.
Hailing from Assam, Shiva Thapa demonstrated his prowess with a commanding victory over Santhosh HK from Karnataka, achieving a flawless score of 5-0. The previous editions gold medalist will now face Shashank Pradhan of Delhi in the quarterfinals.
Representing SSCB, Amit Panghal faced Punjab's Jayshandeep Singh in the round of 16. Despite Jayshandeep's efforts to put up a strong fight, Amit emerged victorious with a scoreline of 4-1. Amit is set to face Mohammad Aarif of Jammu and Kashmir in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the 2021 Asian Champion, Sanjeet, faced off against Sawan Gill of Chandigarh.
Sanjeet's skill set and power packed punches were on full display as he dominated the match, securing a commanding victory with a 5-0 score. Sanjeet, representing SSCB, will face Naman Tanwar of RSPB in the quarterfinals.
In a contrasting matchup, Ashish Kumar from Himachal Pradesh went head-to-head against Nitish Kumar from Chandigarh. Demonstrating swift and aggressive boxing, Ashish wasted no time, securing a first-round knockout victory against his opponent. The Tokyo Olympian is now set to face Lakshya of SSCB in the quarterfinals.
A total of over 350 boxers across 13 weight categories are participating in the championships. (UNI)