Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament: Nishant off to flying start

Haryana pugilist beats Wang Peicheng of China in 71kg bout

NEW DELHI | Updated: 20 February, 2023 9:21 pm IST
Nishant Dev kicked off his campaign with a stellar win (File Photo)

The 2022 National Champion Nishant Dev kicked off his campaign with a stellar victory at the Strandja Memorial International Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Monday, February 20.

Squaring off against Wang Peicheng of China in the 71kg bout, Nishant started the bout by showcasing his swift movement and efficiently dodging his opponent’s attacks. The southpaw smartly shifted gears as the bout progressed and utilised his attacking prowess to keep Peicheng at bay.

The Haryana-born boxer was in cruise control throughout the bout, landing powerful, accurate punches to assert dominance over his Chinese counterpart and securing a 5-0 victory by unanimous decision.

He will now face 2020 Olympic Games bronze medallist Aidan Walsh of Ireland in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.

In the other bout of the day, Sunita went down fighting against Patricio Shera Ma of the USA in the 54kg category, suffering a 0:5 defeat.

Later tonight, five more Indian pugilists will begin their respective campaigns by taking to the ring for their bouts.

The 2022 Asian Championships bronze medallist Sumit will be in action as he takes on Sotiropoulos Iason of Greece in the men’s 75kg category.

While Kalaivani will face Tesara Cleo of the Philippines in the women’s 48kg category, Anamika and Vinakshi will be up against Chang Yuan of China and Hamzayeva Aghamaliyeva Mashati of Azerbaijan in the 50kg and 57kg categories, respectively.

The standout fixture of the day will be between 2022 Asian Championships bronze medallist Ankushita Boro and decorated Irish pugilist Amy Broadhurst, who is the reigning world champion in the women’s 66kg category. All four women pugilists will be contesting in Round 16.

The record six-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa and two-time Commonwealth bronze medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin will be in action on Tuesday. Thapa will take on Lundgaard Jensen Frederik of Denmark in the 63.5kg category while Hussamuddin will face Lyu Ping of China in the 57kg category.

The 2018 World Championships bronze medallist Simranjit Kaur will face Scanlon Danielle of Australia in the 60kg category on Wednesday.

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