In Boxing, Shiva Thapa, reigning Welterweight champion, began his title defence with a dominant victory at the 8th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championship in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh yesterday. He defeated Enayat Khan 5-NIL in his opening bout. Representing Assam, Thapa, has earlier made history as the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics at London 2012.
Former World Youth Boxing Champion Sachin Siwach also made a strong start, securing a 5-NIL victory for the Services Sports Control Board, SSCB against Akshay.
The week-long tournament, organized by the Boxing Federation of India, BFI, in association with the Uttar Pradesh Boxing Association, is being held from the 7th of this month to the upcoming Monday. Nearly 300 boxers from state units across India are competing in various weight categories for supremacy.
