Country’s top boxers, including world champion Minakshi Hooda, two-time world titlist Nikhat Zareen, and World Boxing Cup gold medallist Hitesh Gulia, have secured spots in the semifinals of the Elite Men and Women National Boxing Championships. The championships, being held at the Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, have seen 600 boxers competing across 10 weight categories for each gender.
Minakshi Hooda from the All India Police team triumphed over Kashish Mehta of Punjab in the women’s 45-48kg category with a 5:0 score. Nikhat Zareen also claimed victory in the 48-51kg category by outperforming Manipur’s Lanchenbee Chanu Tongbram with the same score. In the men’s 65-70 kg quarterfinals, Hitesh Gulia defeated Punjab’s Tejaswi with a 5:0 score, securing his spot in the semifinals.
In other matches, silver medallist Pawan Bartwal, Jadumani Singh, and Sachin emerged victorious in their respective categories with unanimous decisions. Pawan defeated Tyson from Arunachal Pradesh, Jadumani beat Nikhil from Punjab, and Sachin won against Karan from Uttar Pradesh. The women’s 51-54kg quarterfinals saw Preeti triumph over Harmeet Kaur Virk of Punjab with a score of 5:0, while Sakshi defeated Poonam of RSPB 4:1.
Earlier in the tournament, Nikhat Zareen, Pawan Bartwal, and Sumit showcased their dominance in their matches to progress further. Nikhat Zareen’s bout in the women’s 48-51kg category was stopped in the first round due to her clear dominance over Ladakh’s Kulsooma Bano. Pawan Bartwal and Sumit also secured wins in their respective categories. The tournament, which began on January 4, is scheduled to conclude on January 10.
