National Boxing Championships: Thapa, Sanjeet, Panghal reach finals

Shillong: Veteran boxer Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) and 2021 Asian champion Sanjeet (92kg) hardly broke a sweat as they stormed into the final of the men's National Boxing Championships here on Friday.

Thapa, the six-time Asian Championships medallist, showcased his experience as he secured a commanding victory 5-0 victory over Harivansh Tawari of Maharashtra.

The Assam boxer, who has endured a mediocre year, will take on Vanshaj of SSCB in the summit clash.

Sanjeet, on the other hand, faced little resistance from Vicky of AIP as the SSCB boxer won the match through an unanimous decision.

He will be up against Naveen Kumar of Haryana in the final.

On a day when 12 SSCB pugilists entered the summit clash, 2019 world championship silver medallist Amit Panghal (51 kg) Panghal tamed Ankit of RSPB.

The bout was closely contested but the 28-year-old Panghal, who failed to make the Indian squad for this year's world championships and the Asian Games, maintained his composure in the crucial moments to beat his opponent 5-2.

Panghal will now face Anshul Punia of Chandigarh in the gold medal bout.

The other SSCB boxers to enter the final are: Barun Singh (48kg), Pawan (54kg), Sachin (57kg), Akash (60kg), Vanshaj (63.5kg), Rajat (67kg), Akash (71kg), Deepak (75kg), Lakshya (80kg) and Jugnoo (86kg).

In another semifinal, RSPB's Sagar entered the final of the 92+kg weight class. Sagar's skillset and power-packed punches were on full display as he dominated the bout, warding off Vishal Kumar of Delhi 5-0.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist will take on Jaipal Singh of Punjab in the gold medal bout.