Commonwealth games gold medallist Amit Panghal, National champion Akash and National bronze medalist Abhimanyu recorded good wins to move into the quarter-final of the 75th Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria .
Amit (51kg) had Rudyk Maksym’s challenge to tackle as he eyed his place in the quarters. The experienced campaigner quickly got into his groove and his ability to efficiently get into the attacking position was on display throughout the bout.
The first two rounds were all about taking on the opponent, while in the third round, Amit employed his defensive tactics to frustrate his Ukrainian opponent and capitalize on his errors, advancing to the quarter-finals with a dominant 5-0 unanimous decision win.
Akash (71kg) was up against Traore Makan of France. The Indian started slow but soon picked up the pace as he displayed swift movement and landed a flurry of punches, surprising his opponents and gaining a significant lead. The performance continued in the second round as dominated the bout.
Traore did make a comeback in the third round but Akash’s exploits in the first two rounds were enough to ensure him a 3-1 win as he entered the quarter-final.
Abhimany Loura (80kg) showed a similar display of dominance against Monny Raphael of France. The Haryana boxer made full use of his long reach as he delivered lethal punches for which the opponent had no answer for.
Abhimanyu grabbed the win with a 5-0 verdict and will face the Asian Games gold medallist China’s Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan