7th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championships: Sanjeet and Varinder off to a flying start

The 7th Elite Men's National Boxing Championships has commenced with a thrilling start as Sanjeet and Varinder Singh showcased impressive performances on the first day. Both boxers managed to start their championship campaigns with a victory.

Sanjeet, representing SSCB, squared off against Karnataka's Jagadheeshwaran J. Utilizing his wealth of experience, he dominated his opponent right from the first round. His assertive style and power-packed punches proved too much for Jagadheeshwaran, leading to the referee stopping the contest in the first round. Sanjeet is now set to face off against Chandigarh's Sawan Gill in a round of 16 clash on Tuesday.

Varinder Singh, playing for Railway Sports Promotion Board aka RSPB, began his bout against Amlesh Kumar from Bihar on a cautious note, testing his opponent in the opening minutes before unleashing a series of counter-attacking punches. Drawing confidence from his initial exploits, Varinder secured a resounding 5-0 victory. He is now set to take on Maharashtra's Vishal Nupe in a round of 32 clash on Sunday.

Harsh Choudhary from Rajasthan, who represented India at the 2023 Men's World Championships in the 80kg category, won his tournament opener against Shivam Saini from Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, Jashanpreet Singh of Punjab commanded a win against Gujarat's Mohammad Moin Shikh, ending the bout with a knockout in the second round.

Shiva Thapa, a six-time Asian medalist in the 63.5kg category, and Amit Panghal, World Championships silver medalist in the 51kg category, are set to start their campaigns from the round of 32 after receiving a bye in the first round. Representing Assam and SSCB respectively, Thapa will face Himachal Pradesh's Abhinash Jamwal, while Panghal will compete against Maharashtra's Shivaji on Monday.

In total, the championships are witnessing the participation of over 350 boxers across 13 weight categories. With such an exciting lineup, boxing enthusiasts are in for a treat as the tournament unfolds.