Shiva Thapa makes winning start, 6 other Indian boxers enter quarters in Asian Championships

BANGKOK: Shiva Thapa inched closer to adding a record fourth medal by entering the 60kg pre-quarterfinals while six other Indians advanced to the last-eight stage in the Asian Boxing Championships here on Saturday.

Thapa secured a thrilling 4-1 win over Korea’s Kim Wonho and is now a couple of wins away from a medal to add to the gold, bronze and silver he won in 2013, 2015 and 2017 editions respectively.

The Assam pugilist will next take on Kyrgyzstan’s Seitbek Uulu for a place in the quarterfinals on Sunday. 2018 World Championships bronze winner Lovlina Borgohain began her medal quest in an impressive fashion, outpunching Vietnam’s Tran Thi Linh 5-0 to advance to the quarter-finals.

Up next on Monday for the 2019 Strandja Cup bronze medallist is a stiff challenge in the form of Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin, to whom the Indian lost to in the semi-finals of the World Championships in New Delhi last year.

National champion and Makran Cup gold medallist Deepak continued his good form at this elite event with yet another commanding 5-0 win over Sri Lanka’s Mutunaka Pedi Gedara. Winner of two King’s Cup medals in Thailand, Rohit Tokas (64kg) displayed his speed and alertness in his 5-0 thrashing of Afghanistan’s Nooristani Mohammad Khaibar to enter the last-eight.

Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg) brought his gold medal-winning form from the Geebee boxing tournament to open with a commanding 5-0 victory over Japan’s Subaru Murata.

In contrast, Ashish Kumar (75kg) had to dig deep to beat China’s Tanglatihan Tuohetaerbieke in a 3-2 split verdict in an absorbing pre-quarter-final contest. 21-year-old Manisha Moun (54kg) of Haryana made a promising start to her campaign with a unanimous 5-0 win over Vietnam’s Do Nha Uyen to enter the quarterfinals.