Shymkent: Reigning sub-junior national champion Aditya Maan (66kg) and silver medal winner at the 28th Sub-Junior Nationals Prayag Chauhan defeated their respective opponents in splendid fashion to march into the semi-finals of ASBC Asian Confederation Junior Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan. The win now assures both the boxers of at least a bronze medal finish from the tournament.
Maan and Chauhan, the two teenage Indian boxers, displayed great skill and technique in the opening round of the Junior Asian meet to register a win by virtue of a unanimous decision on points. While Chauhan overpowered Nozimov Mumin of Tajikistan, Mann defeated Tsenquun Ganbold of Mongolia. In the semi-finals Prayag is slated to take on Ernis Uulu Ruslan of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday (17 April 2013) and Aditya will square off against Merjanov Eldar of Uzbekistan on Thursday (18 April 2013).
In other results, bronze medal winner at last year’s sub-junior nationals Pradeep (63kg) also assured himself with bronze medal finish from the tournament, after securing a direct entry into the semi-finals of the light welter weight division by virtue of a bye. The 16-year-old boxer will now clash against the winner of the quarter-final bout between Stolbovskiy Vladislav of Kazakhstan and Uzbek boxer Shodiljonov Sirojiddin for a place in the finals.
In the bantam weight division Thounaojam Bickychand also powered through to the round of eight with a unanimous decision victory by points over Duishobai Uulu of Kyrgyzstan. In the quarter-finals on the 17th April he takes on Kholdarov Ikboijan of Uzbekistan.
Reigning sub-junior national champion in the pin weight division Mohammad Wasique beat Mongolian boxer Narantsogt to advance into the quarter-finals. He will now lock horns with Nursultan Bekbolat of the home team for a place in the semis. But there was disappointment for India in the fly weight category with L Bhim Chand Singh losing out to local lad Mazur Stoyan in a hard fought contest.
Deepak Kumar (52kg) and Vishnu Dayanand Chayal (57kg) will open their campaign on 18 Apr 2013 in the quarter-finals after getting a bye in the pre quarter-finals. Varinder Singh (48kg) is scheduled to play his pre quarter-final bout against Jiawei Ma of China on Tuesday (16 Apr 2013).
The championship – being played under the new scoring structure of a ‘Ten Point Must-System’ – will witness a total of 112 boxers from 14 nations making a bid to claim the continental title.
The first day of the competition was held on April 15 while the finals, of the thirteen weight classes, are scheduled on April 20. The competition will serve as a good opportunity for the young talents to check their current skills before the AIBA Junior World Championships which to be scheduled in Kiev, Ukraine in August.