Hussamuddin, Thapa give India a fine start at Asian Boxing Championship

Dubai - Hussamuddin, the Nizamabad-born boxer, beat Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan in his opening bout

Mohammad Hussamuddin and Shiva Thapa gave India a fine start at the 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships that got underway in Dubai on Monday.

Hussamuddin, the Nizamabad-born boxer, beat Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan in his opening bout.

And Thapa, who is chasing a fifth successive medal at the event, got the better of Kyrgyzstan’s Dmitri Puchinn.

The Commonwealth Games bronze medallist made a cautious start against the Kazakh boxer. However, with a swift movement and counter-attacking display, the Indian held an edge over his opponent and completed a 5-0 victory to enter the quarterfinals.

Hussamuddin will have a strong challenge in the last eight stage of the event from the top seed and reigning world champion, Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov of Uzbekistan, on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the World Championships bronze medallist Simranjit Kaur and three other Indian pugilists will look to confirm medals when they fight in the quarterfinals on the second day of the championships on Tuesday.

Sakshi (54kg), Jasmine (57kg) and Sanjeet (91) are the other Indians who will be in action in the last eight stage of their respective categories at the prestigious event which is being jointly hosted by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and UAE Boxing Federation.

Simranjit, the Olympic-bound Indian boxer, will lock horns with Uzbekistan’s Raykhona Kodirova in the women’s 60kg quarterfinal bout.

The two-time youth world champion Sakshi will take on Ruhafzo Haqazarova of Tajikistan.

In the women’s featherweight category, Jasmine, who recently had a glorious maiden international outing at the Boxam Tournament where she clinched the silver medal, will be up against Mongolian boxer Oyuntsetseg Yesugen.

In the men’s section, Sanjeet, who received a bye in the first round, will face a challenge from Jakhon Qurbonov of Tajikistan.

Shiva Thapa (64kg) will also be competing in a last eight match on Tuesday.

The ongoing championship, which marks a return of international boxing in Asia post the Covid-19 pandemic, is witnessing the presence of 150 pugilists from 17 counties including strong boxing nations such as India, Uzbekistan, Philippines and Kazakhstan.

India’s best ever show at the Asian Championship came in the last edition in 2019 in Bangkok where they secured 13 medals including two golds.

Indian squad:

Men: Amit Panghal (52kg), Mohammad Hussamuddin (56kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Shiva Thapa (64kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg), Sanjeet (91kg) and Narender (+91kg).

Women: Monika (48kg), MC Mary Kom (51kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jasmine (57kg), Simranjeet Kaur (60kg), Lalbuatsaihi (64kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Saweety (81kg) and Anupama (+81kg). (with inputs from ANI)