Three youth men pugilists book final berth

Express News Service

CHENNAI: Three youth men pugilists from India marched into the finals of the ongoing Asian Youth and Junior Championships in Dubai, on Friday. However, two boxers from the country missed out to settle for bronze medals.

The victors on the day were Vishvanath Suresh (48kg), Bishwametra Chongtham (51kg) and Jaydeep Rawat (71kg).

It was Vishvanath who took the ring first. Up against Sayed Fadel of Bahrain, Vishvanath was engaged in a cagey fight with his opponent at the start with both looking to gain an early advantage. But it was the Indian who finished on a strong note with some big hits towards the close of the round.

With the judges ruling the first round in the Indian’s favour, Vishvanath seemed to have gained an extra edge in his game. He seemed more assured at the start of the second round, showing some nifty footwork to circle his rival and score some good hooks and counter-punches. As the round wore on, the Indian seemed more and more dominant, outsmarting Sayed with his superior movement and more polished punches. Vishvanath towards the end had his guards down and was toying with Sayed, who seemed to have lost plenty of energy while trying to chase the Indian.

With the contest more or less in the bag, Vishvanath kept up his smart footwork in the final round. Every time Sayed tried to probe the Indian, Vishvanath had him on the back foot with some stinging punches.
In the end, the Indian knew he had bossed the contest and broke into a smile after the referee rightfully raised his hand, signalling his success.

Up next was Bishwametra, a medallist at the Youth World Championships earlier this year. And he lived up to his billing, putting up an equally comprehensive performance. He got the better of Abdurakhmonzoda Akarali 5-0 of Tajikistan to enter the final. Jaydeep made a hat-trick of wins for India after edging Murasbekov Bekbol 3-2 of Kyrgyzstan.

Middleweight Deepak (75kg), however, lost against Kazakhastan’s Bakbergen Aliaskarov 4:1.
Later, Lashu Yadav, the lone youth woman boxer from the country in action on the day, went down 0-5 against Kazakhstan’s Gaukhar Shaibekova.