Reigning champion Shiva Thapa began his title defence with a commanding win over Enayat Khan in welterweight (60-65kg) category at the 8th Elite Men's National Boxing Championship in Bareilly on Thursday. Representing Assam, Thapa, who made history as the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics at 2012 London Games, defeated Enayat 5-0 in his opening bout, setting a strong tone for his campaign. Former world youth champion Sachin Siwach also opened his campaign with an emphatic 5-0 victory for the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) against Akshay, displaying his readiness to compete for top honours.
The second day also witnessed a thrilling opening bout with Devansh Solanki of Rajasthan defeating Uttar Pradesh's Vikas Singh with a unanimous decision in the flyweight (47-50kg) category.
In the same category, Ashutosh Yadav of Chhattisgarh delivered a dominant Round 1 performance to overcome Gujarat's Akleem Khan, setting the stage for thrilling action across the day.
Team SSCB reinforced their dominance with victories across multiple categories.
Hitesh Gulia, Deepak, Jugnoo, and Vishal secured wins in the light middleweight, welterweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight divisions, respectively.
Rajasthan also demonstrated impressive form, with Priyadarshi Singh Ashiya (light middleweight), Pushpendra Singh (cruiserweight), and Harsh Choudhary (heavyweight) all emerging victorious against their opponents.
Nearly 300 boxers, representing state units across India, are competing for supremacy in various weight categories in the week-long event, organised by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Uttar Pradesh Boxing Association.
Representing their respective state units, each team features up to 10 boxers in bouts structured under the World Boxing Technical & Competition Rules, with three three-minute rounds and one-minute rest periods in between rounds. A 10-points-must scoring system is in effect throughout the championship.
Team SSCB (Services), the two-time defending champions, continues to pose a formidable challenge as they aim for their third consecutive title.
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