Sanju MS, Pawan Bartwal advance in Thailand Open boxing

Bangkok, May 24 (PTI) National Games bronze medallist Sanju MS and silver winner Pawan Bartwal won their respective bouts at the 4th Thailand Open International Boxing tournament here on Saturday.

Sanju relied on her aggression to decimate her Japanese opponent Sarii Kokufu 5:0 and reach the quarterfinals of the women's 60kg weight category while Army man and national silver medallist Bartwal mixed his aggressive intent with quality defence to get the better of local challenger Thanarat Saengphet 4:1 in the opening round of the men's 55 kg bout.

India has fielded a 19-member contingent for the tournament, held under the aegis of World Boxing, and which has attracted talented boxers from powerhouses like China, Kazakhastan, Uzbekistan, South Korea and host Thailand.

Sanju, who has made a shift to traditional boxing after winning laurels in kick-boxing, is known for her attacking style and went all guns blazing from the first round itself against Kokufu.

The 25-year-old Indian landed a flurry of punches on the Japanese's face in the second minute of the first round and the referee had to call for time out.

The Japanese was then given a countdown at the end of the second round and Sanju just had to maintain her upper hand in the third to advance to the next round.

In the first bout of the day, Bartwal began cautiously in the opening round and his slightly passive approach meant that despite landing a few blows, Saengphet looked ahead after the first round.

But the Indian changed gears in the second round, landing a flurry of his one-two combination punches to unsettle his opponent and gain the upper hand.

Both the boxers came out swinging at the start of the third and final round but Bartwal soon took control by counter-attacking every time the Thai dropped his guard to win a 4:1 verdict.

In the day's other matches, Nikhil (60kg), Amit Kumar (65kg) and Hemant Yadav (70kg) were knocked out in the opening round. PTI AH AH PDS PDS