Hitesh beats former world champion Okazawa, Indian boxers continue to dominate at World Cup Finals

Greater Noida, Nov 17 (PTI) Young Hitesh Gulia recorded the biggest win of his nascent career, stunning two-time World Championships medallist and Asian Games champion Sewon Okazawa of Japan, as Indian boxers continued their stellar run on the second day of the World Cup Finals here on Monday.

With the narrow 3-2 split verdict win, Hitesh (70kg) moved to the semifinals alongside Jadumani Singh (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg) and Naveen Kumar (90kg, who also also won their respective quarterfinals.

India are thus assured of 20 medals as nine boxers won their quarterfinals while 11 home pugilists are starting their campaign in the semifinals or final stage.

In the 70kg quarterfinal, both boxers evaded most of each others punches but Hitesh managed to convince three judges to take the first round against his more experienced opponent.

In the second, Okazawa, the 2021 world champion and 2025 World silver medallist, hit back aggressively to take cut Hitesh's lead to just 1. But pumped by the home support, Hitesh landed some decisive blows to register a memorable win.

"I am delighted by this win, he's an Olympian and also won a silver at the recent World championships. I had to use my mind to play against him," Hiesh said after the bout.

"My plan is that I assess the boxer first and then make my plans accordingly. I have worked hard because I lost in the first round of the Worlds. I have worked on my attacking." Armyman Bartwal upstaged World Boxing Cup Brazil gold medalist Altynbek Nursultan of Kazakhstan.

Spurred on by the home support, he displayed exceptional defensive discipline, clever tempo control, and superb endurance, repeatedly pushing Nursultan, the second seed in the weight category, onto the ropes while picking clean openings to record a 0-5 win.

"Nursultan is a good boxer, he was a champion at the World Boxing Cup in Brazil this year. I was nervous at the beginning, but this tournament is taking place in our country, in front of our crowd, and that gave me confidence. This is a hugely significant tournament in my career. This is my first international medal, and I am extremely proud," Bartwal said after his bout.

Sumit too notched a 5:0 win over South Korea’s Kim Hyeon-tae in the 75kg quarterfinals. A sharp punch to the face early in the bout set the tone for a relentless display where the Indian pugilist married aggression with tactical control.

He pressed forward throughout, dictating the exchanges and forcing Kim into survival mode as the verdict became a formality.

Naveen, a Strandja 2024 medalist, completed the trio of wins in session 2 with a composed and intelligent performance against Kazakhstan’s Bekzat Tangatar.

Jadumani opened his World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 campaign with a unanimous decision win over Kazakhstan's Nurzat Ongarov, displaying his blistering attacking intent from the get-go and pinning his opponent to the ropes throughout the contest. PTI APA SSC SSC