ASBC Youth and Junior Boxing C'ships: Four Indians enter semifinals

Vishvanath Suresh (48kg), Vanshraj (64kg), Daksh Singh (67kg) and Jaydeep Rawat (71kg) entered the last-four stage and confirmed medals for the country.

India's Vanshaj (R) punches his opponent during the youth quarterfinal bout on Day 4 of the ASBC Youth and Junior Boxing Championships in Dubai.

Vishvanath Suresh and three other Indian boxers made their way into the semifinals on the fourth day of the ASBC Asian Youth & Junior Boxing Championships in Dubai.

Vanshraj (64kg), Daksh Singh (67kg) and Jaydeep Rawat (71kg) were the other three pugilists to enter the last-four stage and confirm medals for the country.

Vishvanath gave India a perfect start for the day as he outperformed Zholbborosov Amantur in the men’s 48kg quarterfinal and secured a dominating 5-0 win. The Kyrgyz boxer Zholbborosov was no match for Vishvanath as the Indian, showing tactical brilliance and great power, held advantage over his opponent throughout the match.

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Vanshaj too claimed an identical victory against Tajikistan’s Makhkamov Dovud while Jaydeep was declared as the winner with Referee Stopping the Contest (RSC) in the second round against local boy Eissa Mohammed Alkurdi.

On the other hand, Daksh had to fight hard against Kyrgyzstan’s Turdubaev Eldar during his split 4-1 victory.

Meanwhile, Victor Shaikhom Singh (54kg), Vijay Singh (57kg) and Rabichandra Singh (60kg) couldn’t manage to progress as they suffered defeats in their respective quarterfinals.

Having already secured themselves and the country medals, seven Indian junior pugilists, including four girls, will aim for a spot in the final as they will fight in the semifinals on Day 5 of the prestigious continental event, in which both the age groups—junior and youth—are competing together for the first time. 

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Among boys, Rohit Chamoli (48kg), Ankush (66kg) and Bharat Joon (+81kg) will be seen in action while Muskan (46kg), Devika Ghorpade (50kg), Aarzoo (54kg) and Supriya Rawat (66kg) will fight in the girls’ category.

The ongoing Asian Championships provide the much-needed competition for the promising young boxers at the Asian level after a gap of almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian boxers have already assured the country of more than 25 medals at the event which includes pugilists from strong boxing nations such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, to name a few.