Men's National Boxing Championship 2022: Shiva Thapa enters final, Abhinash Jamwal of HP stuns Rohit Tokas

Hisar, Jan 5: Star India boxer Shiva Thapa, on Thursday (January 5) showcased his experience by defeating 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Manish Kaushik in the semi-final while Himachal Pradesh's Abhinash Jamwal stunned Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 bronze medal winner Rohit Tokas to advance to the final of the 6th Elite Men's National Boxing Championships in Hisar.

Having clashed against each other on several occasions in the past, Assam's Thapa and Services Sports Control Board's (SSCB) Kaushik have produced some blockbuster contests with this encounter being no different. Both pugilists started out aggressively from the get-go with neither shying away from showcasing their strength and establishing their dominance over the other.

As the bout progressed, Thapa utilised his experience to take charge of the matchup by judging his opponent's attacks smartly to dodge them with his quick feet while landing more accurate punches.

Ultimately, the 2015 World Championship bronze medalist was successful in having the upper hand over Kaushik and registered a resounding 5-0 win by unanimous decision. He will face the 2019 World Youth Championships silver medalist Ankit Narwal who is representing the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) in the finals of the 63.5 kg category.

After winning the game under chilly weather conditions at Giri Centre in Chaudhari Charan Singh Agriculture University, Thapa said, "Yes, the weather here is cold but we are used to playing in every condition. Recovery after bouts in winter is also quick." Speaking about his match in the semis, the record six-time Asian medalist, claimed, "The match against Manish was good. It is always tough to compete against a southpaw."

The 2021 Asian champion Sanjeet (92kg) representing SSCB showed strength as he secured a comfortable victory against Ashish Bhandor of Himachal Pradesh. Showcasing his power and supreme technical ability, Sanjeet gave his opponent no chance to come back in the bout and sealed his place in the finals after the referee stopped the contest (RSC) in the second round.

Sanjeet's SSCB teammates, the 2022 Asian Championships bronze medalists Sumit (75kg) and Narender (+92kg) reigned supreme in their semis bouts with 5:0 triumphs. While Sumit defeated Tinderpal Singh of Punjab, Narender won against Jaipal Singh of Punjab and advanced to the finals.

Sagar (+92kg) represented RSPB to square off against Akash of Delhi. The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist made light work of his opponent and will go head-to-head against Narender in the finals.

Meanwhile, Abhinash Jamwal of Himachal Pradesh stunned the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Rohit Tokas of RSPB in the 67 kg semi-finals. The closely contested bout saw both pugilists give it their all but Jamwal's determination helped him edge out his counterpart and secure a 4-3 win after the bout was reviewed. He will face Akash of SSCB in his final bout.

Speaking with MyKhel after his win against a favourite, Abhinash said, "I feel pleased with my performance against Rohit. My strategy was to play aggressively and play on the front foot. My focus is now on giving my best in the final and do well."

Two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Mohammad Hussamuddin who is representing SSCB blanked Ashish Kumar of Himachal Pradesh to win by unanimous decision. He will take on Sachin of RSPB in the finals of the 57 kg category.

The RSPB duo of Govind Sahani (48kg) and Varinder Singh (60kg) secured their berths in the final with identical 5-0 wins over Neeraj Swami of Delhi and Suni Chouhan of Uttar Pradesh respectively. The finals bout of all weight categories will be played on Friday.