National Boxing Championships: Shiva Thapa, Manish Kaushik to meet in mouth-watering semi-final clash

CWG bronze medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin also advanced to the last four stage.

The record six-time Asian medalist Shiva Thapa and 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Manish Kaushik produced power-packed performances on the fifth day and will face each other in the semi-finals of the 6th Elite Men's National Boxing Championships in Hisar.

Thapa (63.5kg) who is representing Assam hardly had to break a sweat in his quarters bout against Ashutosh Kumar of Punjab. The pugilist who also has the 2015 World Championships bronze to his name was at his attacking best and put up a sensational display of skill and strength to secure a 5:0 victory by unanimous decision against his opponent.

Kaushik (63.5kg) on the other hand, is representing the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) and was facing Rohit Ningehougan Singh of Manipur in his bout. Similar to Thapa, the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist also portrayed his attacking dominance by blanking his opponent to win by unanimous decision.

Thapa and Kaushik will take to the ring against each other in a highly anticipated semi-final encounter and give it their all to secure their berth in the National Boxing Championships final.

Meanwhile, Railway Sports Promotion Board's (RSPB) Varinder Singh (60kg) squared off against the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion Gaurav Solanki of Haryana in what was a high-profile clash. Showcasing brilliant technical ability, Varinder was able to outperform Solanki with ease and managed to secure a dominant 5:0 win. The 2021 Asian Championships bronze medalist will take on Sunil Chouhan of Uttar Pradesh in his semis bout.

Another RSPB pugilist, Rohit Tokas (67kg) produced a stellar display to triumph over Nishchaya of All India Police (AIP). Landing accurate punches and dodging attacks with his quick movement, the 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist made light work of his opponent to win 5:0. He will face Abhinash Jamwal of Himachal Pradesh in the National Boxing Championships semi-finals.

Two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg) of SSCB got the better of Manish Rathod of Uttar Pradesh with a 5:0 triumph and sealed his place in the final four. He will take on the 2019 Asian Championships silver medalist Ashish Kumar of Himachal Pradesh in his semis bout.

The 2022 Asian Championships bronze medalist duo of Govind Sahani (48kg) and Sumit (75kg) also cruised through to the semi-finals. While Govind defeated Vikash Singh of Uttar Pradesh with a 5-0 scoreline, Sumit secured a comfortable victory against Gourav Dabas of Delhi after the referee stopped the contest (RSC) in the first round.

A total of 386 boxers across 13 different weight categories are participating in the National Boxing championships.