HISAR, Jan 4: Six-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa and 2019 World Championships bronze winner Manish Kaushik produced power-packed performances to storm into the semifinals of the sixth men’s National Boxing Championships here on Wednesday.
Thapa (63.5kg), who is representing Assam, hardly broke a sweat in his quarterfinal bout against Ashutosh Kumar of Punjab. The pugilist, who also has the 2015 World Championships bronze to his name, was at his attacking best and put up a sensational display of skill and strength to secure a 5-0 unanimous victory.
Kaushik (63.5kg), on the other hand, is representing the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) and was facing Rohit Ningehougan Singh of Manipur in his bout.
Thapa, the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, also showcased his attacking dominance by blanking his opponent to win by unanimous decision.
Thapa and Kaushik will take to the ring against each other in a highly anticipated semifinal contest on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Railway Sports Promotion Board’s (RSPB) Varinder Singh (60kg) squared off against the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion Gaurav Solanki of Haryana in what was a high-profile clash.
Showing brilliant technical ability, Varinder defeated Solanki with ease and managed to secure a dominant 5-0 win. The 2021 Asian Championships bronze medallist will take on Sunil Chouhan of Uttar Pradesh in the semifinals.
Another RSPB pugilist, Rohit Tokas (67kg) beat Nishchaya of All India Police (AIP)5-0 to set up a clash against Abhinash Jamwal of Himachal Pradesh in the semifinals.
Two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg) of SSCB got the better of Manish Rathod of Uttar Pradesh by a 5-0 verdict to seal his place in the final four. He will next take on the 2019 Asian Championships silver medallist Ashish Kumar of Himachal Pradesh.
The 2022 Asian Championships bronze medallist duo of Govind Sahani (48kg) and Sumit (75kg) also entered the semifinals. While Govind defeated Vikash Singh of Uttar Pradesh 5-0, Sumit secured a comfortable victory against Gourav Dabas of Delhi after the referee stopped the contest (RSC) in the first round.
A total of 386 boxers across 13 different weight categories are participating in the championships. (PTI)
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