Starting on a strong note, national 57kg champion Sachin Siwach secured a unanimous 5-0 verdict to comprehensively win his round of 64 bout against New Zealand’s Alex Mukuka on the opening day of the World Olympic Boxing Qualifiers 2 in Bangkok. (Streaming | More Boxing News)
Sachin, who is the Strandja Memorial 2024 gold medallist, dominated Mukuka from the get go and kept up the pressure throughout the bout. Sachin made his intentions clear in the first round as he went on the attack early and took charge with a couple of left-right combinations.
If Mukuka was hoping for a turnaround in the second round, his hopes were soon dashed as the Indian was relentless with his aggression. With the first two rounds comfortably in his pocket, Sachin ensured that there was no chance of a fightback from his opponent and wrapped up the proceedings.
India has fielded a 10-member contingent, seven men and three women, in the second world qualifiers. Boxers need to reach the semi-finals to stand a chance of booking Paris Olympics berths.
On Saturday (May 25), senior nationals bronze medallist Abhimanyu Loura will face Bulgaria’s Kristiyan Nikolov in the opening round of the 80kg weight category. Meanwhile, 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (51kg) and 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist Narendra Berwal (+92kg) have received byes in the first rounds of their respective weight categories.
