National Boxing Championships: Gaurav Solanki, Hussamuddin register wins

Six-time Asian medalist Shiva Thapa wil begin his campaign in the Round of 16 stage on Monday.

The 2018 Commonwealth Games champion Gaurav Solanki, two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Mohammad Hussamuddin and 2021 Asian Youth champion Biswamitra Chongtham recorded comprehensive wins on the second day of the 6th Elite Men's National Boxing Championships in Hisar on Sunday.

Haryana's Solanki (60kg) was competing against Navraj Chauhan of Himachal Pradesh. In what was a hard-fought contest, Solanki showcased tremendous grit and vigor to defeat his opponent 5-2 after the bout was reviewed. He will now be in round-of-16 action against Harendra Singh of Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.

Representing Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), Hussamuddin (57kg) was squaring off against Bulen Buragohain of Assam. The SSCB pugilist was in cruise control throughout the bout and portrayed his attacking prowess as well as swift movement to secure a 5:0 win by unanimous decision. The 2022 Asian bronze medalist will face Lallawmawma of Mizoram in his round-of-16 bout on Tuesday.

Hussamuddin's SSCB teammate, Biswamitra (51kg) also put up a sensational attacking display against N Madhaba of Odisha. His superior technical ability allowed him to dictate the bout from the start and triumph over his opponent as the referee stopped the contest (RSC) in the first round. Biswamitra will go head to head against Prabhudas Yadla of Andhra Pradesh in his pre-quarterfinals bout on Tuesday.

The 2021 Asian Championships bronze medalist Varinder Singh (60kg) who is representing Railway Sports Control Board (RSCB) prevailed against Rahul of Chandigarh. Registering a thumping 5-0 win, Varinder will take to the ring against Ibrahim Mohmmed of SSCB in the round-of-16 bout on Tuesday.

Another RSCB pugilist, Ankit Narwal (63.5kg) also powered his way to an impressive victory against Arun Kumar of Pondicherry after the referee stopped contest (RSC) in Round 1. The 2019 Asian Youth Championships silver medalist will face the winner of the bout between Karnataka's Karan BK and Uttar Pradesh's Ratandeep Sharma in the pre-quarters stage on Tuesday.

On Monday, the record six-time Asian medalist Shiva Thapa who is representing Assam will begin his campaign from the round-of-16 stage as he takes on Jaswinder Singh of Delhi.

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