Asian Elite Boxing Championships | Shiva Thapa assured of medal, advances to semis
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At the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships, Shiva Thapa advanced to the semifinals and earned a remarkable sixth medal, joining Mohammed Hussamuddin and Govind Kumar Sahani. Thapa got the fight started well by controlling his opponent with his fast feet and potent punches.
As the fight went on, the Indian fighter increased his attacking domination and had Choi bound for the bulk of it. With a 4:1 victory, Thapa became the most successful male boxer at the Asian Championships, earning six medals in the process. Hussamuddin (57 kg), a two-time bronze medallist at the Commonwealth Games, faced Haengseok Lee of South Korea in the quarterfinal round. The South Korean got off to a strong start in the opening round, connecting with solid punches and keeping his opponent at bay for the bulk of the round.
The Indian fighter used his expertise to produce an incredible comeback and put an end to any chances of an upset that were brewing. Hussamuddin gave it his best in the following two rounds, dominating his way to a 5:0 decision. In his opening round of the competition, Govind (48 kg) fought Mansour Khalifa of Kuwait. The 2022 Thailand Open champion easily defeated his opponent 5:0 to secure his place in the semifinals.
Following Saturday's medal-guaranteed performances by Minakshi (52 kg), Preeti (57 kg), Parveen (63 kg), Ankushita Boro (66 kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg), the trio increased India's medal total at the tournament, bringing the total to 10. Alfiya (+81kg) and Saweety (81kg) will start their competition from the semifinals and are already guaranteed at least a bronze medal.
On November 10, the semifinal matchups between Hussamuddin and Serik Temirzha, the silver medalist at the 2021 World Championships, Govind and Sanzhar Tashkenbay, and Thapa and Bakhodur Usmonov will take place. Ananta Chopade (54 kg), who won the 2022 Thailand Open gold medal, was eliminated from the tournament in the opposite quarterfinal after falling to Seidekmatov Sanzhai of Kyrgyzstan by a score of 0:4.
Amit Kumar (67 kg), Monika (48 kg), and Simranjit Kaur (60 kg) will all compete in quarterfinal matches later tonight. Ankushita Boro (56 kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg) advanced to the semi finals late on Saturday night after winning their quarterfinal matches against Tsubata Arsia of Japan and Valentina Khalzova of Kazakhstan, respectively.
Lovlina, who was competing in the 75 kg weight division for the first time at an international competition, had to put in a lot of effort to defeat 2016 World Champion Khalzova by a 3:2 split decision.Â
