Asian champion Sanjeet showed his class to outwit young Uttarakhand rival Harish Singh and book a place in the men’s 92kg quarterfinals at the boxing arena of the National Games in Gandhinagar on Saturday.
Services man Sanjeet set up a last-eight clash with Delhi’s Harsh Kaushik, who got past a never-say-die Ajay Kumar of Karnataka 5-0.
Sanjeet, who had a disappointing outing in the Commonwealth Games, lived up to the billing. He began by landing a lusty uppercut, resulting in a standing count on Harish, and then using his trademark jabs and combinations to gain ground.
Even as Harish showed some courage, the taller Sanjeet boxed from a long range and moved around well to stay ahead. A few blows from Sanjeet in the third round caused the referee to stop the contest.
“I could have finished off the fight in the first round, but I wanted some ring time,” said Sanjeet.
“My Commonwealth Games performance was frustrating. I had sleepless nights but didn’t want any sympathy. I learnt a lesson and tightened my third-round game. Now I want to build up for the Asian Games,” said Sanjeet.
On a lackluster day featuring several RSC decisions, Komalpreet Kaur (66kg) gave a power-packed performance to trounce Sneha Shelar 5-0.
Former World junior champion Mandeep Kaur (57kg) also advanced to the last-eight.
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