Greater Noida: It was a day when some of India’s top boxers were thoroughly tested in the ring. Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain and two-time Olympian Amit Panghal survived tough fights to progress at the Elite National Boxing Championships here on Tuesday.
The bouts are particularly intense as India’s top boxers are competing to stake their claim for selection to the national camp and then the India team in the year of Asian Games.
Lovlina (75kg) hasn’t had the best of runs in recent times, but she is a proven champion. Her opponent, Saweety Boora, the 2023 World Championships medallist, too has strong credentials, and both are eyeing the middleweight class with an eye on the Asian Games.
Although Lovlina managed victory by split decision, Saweety wasn’t prepared to cede an inch and even took the first round with some ferocious close-range shots, which took the Assam boxer by surprise. The Haryana boxer won the first round 4-1, and the second round saw both boxers engage in clinching. The tall Lovlina maintained her distance and used her long range to connect with punches, taking the second round. In the decisive third round, Lovlina managed to convince the judges that she was better, winning the bout 3-2 and move into the quarterfinals.
“I am coming back to competition after a long break, so it took some time to get going,” said Lovlina, who last competed at the World Championships in September, losing in the second round. “Saweety di is an experienced boxer, very aggressive. We have fought many bouts in trials, but since I was coming back after a long break, the first round did not go well. Then I changed my strategy and was more attacking, getting my punches in,” she said.
“For me the road to the LA Olympics starts from here. I had good training. I have to keep my focus on the game in these two years. There is the CWG, Asiad and Asian Championships coming up. My target is to get into the team and perform well.”
Amit, Jadumani clash
The men’s 55kg is the toughest category. World Boxing Cup Final medallist Pawan Bartawal is the favourite, but there are also Tokyo Olympian Amit Panghal and the upcoming Jadumani Singh, both having moved up from light flyweight. Interestingly, all three boxers are representing Services as BFI has given automatic entry to the medallists of the World Cup Finals. Panghal, now 30, believes he still has the fire to win major medals. He has shown the spark in the two bouts so far but the younger lot has thrown a challenge at every step.
It was the promising Haryana boxer Priyanshu who made a brilliant start against Amit, dominating the first round 5-0 with sharp counter-attacks. Panghal was slow to get off, still searching for his range while Priyanshu was fearless, unleashing combination punches, dealing some solid blows.
Panghal fought back as he always does, unleashing fast combinations and showing good footwork and accuracy to take the second round 3-2. In the third, Panghal came hard at Priyanshu, delivering a barrage of punches. With his second win, he has entered the pre-quarters.
“If he had lost the second round, he would have lost the bout. So, we changed the tactics and asked him to step up his attack,” said Services coach Jai Patil, who was in Panghal’s corner.
“Amit is a strong finisher. We told him, ‘You are a champion boxer and need to play like one — just keep throwing punches.’ Amit still has the game. He just needs to get his focus back,” said Patil.
Watching Panghal’s bout was Jadumani, the youngster who is likely to be his semi-final rival. Jadumani beat R. Parthiban of Tamil Nadu through Referee Stopped Contest in the second round.
