The Indian boxers’ campaign was off to a mixed start with one win and two losses on the opening day of the 68th Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Gaurav Chaudhary (91kg) was the lone winner for India on the first day of competitions, defeating local favourite Hayat Rasim to make the last-eight stage.
However, prominent to bow out early was World Championships bronze-medallist Shiva Thapa. The 23-year-old, competing in his maiden international event in the lightweight division, lost to England’s Callum French. “He fought well but somehow that did not reflect in the scoring. It was hard luck,” said an Indian coach travelling with the team.
Also going down was Satish Kumar (+91kg), who was defeated by Kazakhstan’s Kamshybek Konkabayev.
The tournament, being held simultaneously for both men and women, features over 200 boxers from over 30 countries.
India have fielded a 10-member team for the men’s event, while keeping the women’s team’s strength to five.
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