Rohit Chamoli, Ankush, and Gaurav Saini were among the six Indian boxers who registered victories on the opening day of the ASBC Youth and Junior Boxing Championships in Dubai. Providing India an ideal momentum in the junior boys' event, Rohit (48kg), Ankush (66kg), and Gaurav (70kg) claimed confident victories against their respective opponents and confirmed themselves and country medals, securing places in the semi-finals. Chandigarh's Rohit outclassed Alhassan Qadous Sriya 5-0 while Ankush also blanked Bader Shehab from Kuwait 5-0. Haryana's Gaurav too put up a dominating show against another Kuwaiti boxer Yaqoub Saadallah before he was declared the winner with Referee Stopping the Contest (RSC) in the second round of the bout.
Ashish (54kg), Anshul (57kg), and Preet Malik (63kg) were the other three junior pugilists to emerge victorious in their respective opening round matches.
On the other hand, Yashwrdhan Singh (60kg), Usman Mohd Sultan (50kg), Naksh Beniwal (75kg), and Rishabh Singh (81kg) suffered defeats in their respective preliminary bouts.
The 2021 World Youth Championships bronze medallist Bishwamitra Chongtham will begin his campaign in the prestigious continental event as six youth Indian boxers will be seen in action on the second day.
Apart from Bishwamitra, Daksh Singh (67kg), Deepak (75kg), Aditya Janghu (86kg) and Abhimanyu Loura (92) will play their opening-round matches while among women's Preeti (57kg) will kick off her challenge.
The ongoing Asian Championships will provide the much-needed competitive tournament to the promising young talents at the Asian level after a gap of almost two years lost due to the pandemic.
The event has been witnessing a thrilling action in the presence of pugilists from strong boxing nations like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan to name a few.