Chandigarh, Punjab boxers dominate

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 3

Chandigarh and Punjab boxers dominated the proceedings on the second day of 4th Elite Women’s National Boxing Championships in Kannur, Kerala, today.

The day began with a fiery encounter between last year’s bronze medallists KH Shamim Banu from Manipur and Chandigarh’s Savita in the 54kg bantamweight category. Both the boxers threw caution to the winds and traded mighty blows, and Savita managed to pull off victory with a flurry of punches in the dying seconds of the bout. Savita won 3-2 in a split verdict to win the bout.

Last year’s silver medallist Nupur (75kg), who is representing Haryana, making a comeback to the ring after the Asian Championship, began her campaign with an easy 5-0 win over Rajasthan’s Shweta.

Madhya Pradesh’s Jigyasa Rajput (81kg), a bronze medal winner from the previous edition, also started on a winning note as she defeated Uttarakhand’s Babita 5-0.

In the 64kg category, Chandigarh’s Neema showed superb form and fitness to notch a victory over Sarmila Rai of Sikkim. Sarmila was no match for her opponent as she took a series of punches, forcing the referee to stop the contest in the first round itself.

Monika (51kg), Ritu (57kg) and Manju (60kg) were other boxers from Chandigarh to post wins as five pugilists from the region moved into the next round.

Punjab’s Mandeep Kaur Sandhu blanked Uttar Pradesh’s Shilpa Baliyan 5-0 in the featherweight category. Two other Punjab boxers, Gagandeep Kaur (69kg) and Kamaljeet Kaur (51kg), also notched easy wins.

The preliminary matches will be played on the first four days, and the finals will take place on December 8