Gaurav in semis, confirms medal at Elorda Cup
Gaurav Chauhan chalked out a hard fought 3-2 win over local favourite Danial Saparbay to move into the 92+kg semi-finals with a confirmed medal at the Elorda Cup Boxing in Astana, Kazakhstan on Tuesday.
Putting up yet another fiery display , Asian and Commonwealth games bronze medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg) thrashed his rival to move into the pre-quarter finals while Ashish Choudhary and Shiva Thapa crashed out of the IBA World Boxing Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Friday.
In the round of 32 bout, Hussamuddin , faced China’s Lyu Ping. The southpaw from India displayed his swift movement and intelligence to throw a combination of punches in the first round and gain momentum.
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After winning the first round unanimously, Hussamuddin upped the ante in the next round and took the initiative to land heavy blows on his opponent while dodging Lyu’s punches.
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The Chinese boxer couldn’t match the speed and intensity of Hussamuddin and eventually lost the bout 5-0. He will next take on Russia’s Savvin Eduard in the pre-quarterfinal on Sunday.
In 80 Kg category,Asian silver medallist Ashish, was up against two-time Olympic Champion Arlen Lopez of Cuba in the round of 32 bout. The Indian went on the offensive in the first round but Arlen defended well and hit some heavy counter-punches to win the first round. Ashish came back strongly in the second round and took the game to the opposition to win the round.
With everything to play for in the last round, both the boxers went neck and neck and landed fierce punches in what was an intensly fought bout. Both the boxers showed a lot of heart and courage but the Cuban boxer won the bout 5-2 after bout review.
Meanwhile, the record six-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa went down fighting against Dos Reis Yuri of Brazil in the 63.5kg category. In what was a fiercely-fought matchup, the Indian suffered a narrow 3-4 defeat on points after the bout was reviewed and exited the competition.
Naveen (92 kg) will take on Jeong Jae-min of South Korea.
On Saturday, two Indian boxers will be in action in their round of 32 bout. Akash (67kg) will face China’s Fu Mingke whereas Nishant Dev (71kg) will take on Korea’s Lee Sangmin.
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