ARMY, MAS UNICHELA PUGILISTS RETAIN NATIONAL BOXING TITLES
90th ABA National Boxing Championship
Army pugilists retained the National Boxing title when they emerged men’s champion while MAS Unichela Panadura a cluster of MAS Holdings too retained the women’s title at the 90th ABA Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championship concluded at the Royal MAS Boxing Arena on Monday.
The champion Army boxing team in emerging champions secured four gold and three silver medals while in second place was their closest rival MAS Slimline Panadura having won three gold and two silver medals and Navy taking the third slot with a goal, silver and two bronze medals.
In the women’s category MAS Unichela secured four gold and three silver medals while the newest club to join the boxing arena Hela Clothing making their debut took the second slot winning three gold medals pushing the much more stabilized Air Force to third position. Hela Clothing had a memorable debut as they won four gold medals, three in the women’s and one in the men’s and a bronze medal having entered only six boxers for the championship. The gold medal winners were B.L.S. Sandareka (Featherweight 54-57kg), G.H.T.N. Dharmasena (Welterweight 69kg) and Nelum Nilanthi (Super Heavyweight Over 81kg) who was adjudged the most outstanding (women) boxer of 2016 and in the men’s P.M.T.S. Ranasinghe (Flyweight 46-49kg).
Three pugilists from MAS Holdings N.G. S. Jayaweera and Dindu Saparamadu both of MAS Slimline and K.A.K. Hansika of MAS Unichela bagged the individual awards that were on offer with Jayaweera taking the best boxer in the men’s, Saparamadu was adjudged the most outstanding men’s boxer of 2016 and Hansika the best boxer (women) while P.D.D. Maduranga of Army and K.A.L.U. Kaushalya of Air Force were adjudged the best losers.
Meanwhile MAS Slimline Pannala and MAS Unichela Panadura carried away the Muttiah Xavier Memorial Challenge Trophy and the Dian Gomes Challenge Trophy for the most outstanding club for the year 2016.
WOMEN:
Light Flyweight 48kg – A.A.K. Nilmini (MAS Unichela) received a walk over from H.M.N. Weerasinghe (MAS Casualine). Flyweight
48-51kg – J.A.D. Jayasinghe (MAS Unichela) beat H.S. Priyadharshini (Army). Bantamweight 54kg – M.P.P.S. Cooray (Air Force) beat N. Pushpakumara (MAS Unichela ‘B’).
Featherweight 54-57kg – B.L.S. Sandareka (Hela Clothing) beat Y.M.K. Abeyratne (Air Force). Lightweight
60kg – K.A.K. Hansika (MAS Unichela) beat R.S. Dilini (Air Force). Lightweight
60-64kg – L. Udayangi (MAS Unichela) beat K.A.L.U. Kaushalya (Air Force ). Welterweight 69kg – G.H.T.N. Dharmasena (Hela Clothing) beat P.C.K. Jayasekera (MAS Unichela).
Middleweight 69-75kg – P.K. Sumudu (Army) beat A.M.P. Atapattu (MAS Unichela). Heavyweight 81kg – D.D.S. Weeraratne (Police) beat G.D.M. Jayadeva (MAS Casualine). Super
Heavyweight Over 81kg – Nelum Nilanthi (Hela Clothing) beat I.W.S. Chandrasekera (MAS Unichela).
MEN:
Flyweight 46-49kg – P.M.T.S. Ranasinghe (Hela Clothing) beat A.M.G. Bandara (Navy). Flyweight
52kg – M.V.I.R.S. Bandara (Army) beat M.M. Prabashwara (MAS Slimline). Bantamweight 56kg – P.D. Suresh (MAS Slimline) beat N. Amarawansa (MAS Slimline ‘B’). Lightweight 60kg – N.G.S. Jayaweera (MAS Slimline) beat N.B.J. Vimukthi Kumara (Army).
Light Welterweight 64kg – Dinidu Saparamadu (MAS Slimline) beat I.P.D. Kumara (Air Force).
Welterweight 69kg – R.G.S. Kumarasinghe (Navy) beat P.D.D. Maduranga (Army). Middleweight
75kg – M.A.C.S. Kumara (Army) beat H.A.K. Kumara (Air Force).
Light Heavyweight 81kg – R.K. Gunaratne (MAS Slimline BC) beat I.B.N. Bandara (Army).
Heavyweight 91kg – J.P.N.N. Jayaweera (Army) beat K.G.A. Jayasena (SLAR ‘B’). Heavyweight
Over 91kg – .T.B. Ratnadivakara (MAS Slimline). beat A.R.B.E. Tilekeratne (Army).