Liverpool (England), Sep 4 (IANS) Pawan Bartwal provided India a winning start to their World Boxing Championships campaign as he got the better of Brazil’s Michael Douglas Trindade, a Paris Olympian, in a close men’s 55kg bout in Liverpool, UK, on Thursday.
Bartwal displayed his skills under pressure in the third and final round to keep his Brazilian opponent at bay and still impress the judges with his punches to win the first round bout 3:2.
The two boxers were deadlocked after the first two rounds, with Trindade nullifying Bartwal’s advantage in the second round.
India has fielded a 20-member contingent at the inaugural World Championships being held under the aegis of the World Boxing Council, a recently formed international governing body for boxing, and are looking to underline their growing stature in world boxing.
Three other Indians — Sakshi (women’s 54kg), Sanamacha Chanu (women’s 70kg), and Harsh Choudhary (men’s 90kg) will be in action in the evening session.
Meanwhile, 10 Indian boxers have been handed a decent draw with medal contender Hitesh Gulia (men’s 70kg), Abhinash Jamwal (men’s 65kg), Nikhat Zareen (women’s 51kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (women’s 70kg), avoiding tricky opponents early in the competition.
While Gulia, Jamwal, and Lovlina have a bye in the opening round while Nikhat Zareen will take on Jennifer Lozana of the USA.
The 20-Indian contingent is focused on putting together a strong performance at the inaugural World Championships being held under the aegis of the World Boxing, a recently formed international governing body for boxing — and their chances have definitely been boosted by the return of Nikhat, former world champion and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina.
–IANS
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