Boxers assure three more medals for India; six more pugilists are in quarters in Glasgow

Glasgow, Scotland: Three of the five boxers in action late on Tuesday night progressed to the semi-finals and assured themselves and India of at least a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.

The medals will be officially awarded on the day of the final. India has so far won 12 medals in three disciplines – weightlifting (1 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze), athletics (1 gold, two silver, 1 bronze) and Para Powerlifting (1 bronze).

Thus far, of the 13 boxers fielded by India three have been eliminated without medals while four are assured of medals and the fate of six more will be decided on Wednesday night.

Preeti Pawar was the first to take the stage at the Scottish Exhibition Hall here on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals and showcased a dominant performance to secure herself a medal. The two other Indian boxers to progress into the medal round were Priya Ghanghas and Jadumani Singh Mandengbam.

Since both losing semi-finalists earn medals in boxing, India is now assured of at least four medals. Lovlina Borgohain is already assured of at least a bronze medal after receiving a direct passage to the semi-finals.

Preeti continued to prove why she is one of the top fighters in the women’s 54 kg division as she dominated her Northern Ireland opponent Nicole Clyde. The Indian ace forced a countdown against the Northern Irish competitor in each of the three rounds to take a convincing win with a unanimous decision from all five judges.

Priya Ghanghas, who was the second Indian fighter to take the stage, was convincing in her fight against Scottish opponent Niamh Mitchell in the Women’s 60 kg division. Priya found herself on the backfoot early in the bout after her Scottish rival gained a 4 to 1 advantage in the first round. Priya put together a strong second and third round to overturn the deficit and win in a split decision with the judges awarding her the win overall in a 4 to 1 split verdict.

(From left) Jadumani, Priya and Preeti have entered the medal round

Parveen Hooda was the third Indian fighter among the girls. She lost a closely fought round to English boxer Sacha Hickey in the Women’s 65 kg division. Hickey displayed extreme tactical awareness in the fight to gain advantage in the first two rounds and secured the fight in a 3 to 2 split decision and end the Indian boxer’s medal hopes.

In the men’s boxing, Jadumani Singh continued to display the overwhelming improvements brought by his choice to move up from the men’s 50 kg to the men’s 55 kg division. The Indian boxer was dominant throughout the fight against Mwengo Mwale of Zambia. Despite a height and reach disadvantage, Jadumani Singh was able to leverage his superior movement to create opportunities to counterattack. This allowed him to dominate from the first round and by the third round he had secured a unanimous 5 to 0 decision to assure himself of a medal finish.

Kapil Pokhariya was paired up against home favourite Robert McNulty in the quarterfinals of the men’s 90 kg division. Robert McNulty, better known by the home crowd as ‘Pretty Boy’ McNulty, is a defensive boxer who prides himself in his ability to evade the punches of his opposition using his strong ability to dictate the distance in a fight.

The fight proved to be challenging for Kapil, who is known for the power behind his punches as McNulty continued to display his flashy approach to the sport. The Scottish fans in the stadium erupted into chants in support of their local fighter. The final result saw McNulty take the bout with a unanimous 5 to 0 decision by the judges.

With Lovlina Borgohain already assured of a medal before the start of the Games, the Indian boxing contingent is now sure to bring home at least four medals.

Six more Indian boxers, three in women and three in men, are set to take part in quarterfinal bouts late on Wednesday and stand a good chance of making into the semi-finals and securing themselves a medal.

The Indian boxers set to see action next are Sakshi Chaudhary against Caitlin Fryers of Northern Ireland in the Women’s 51 kg division; Jasmine Lamboria against Elise Glynn of England in women’s 57 kg; and Arundhati Chaudhary against Morgan Henderson of New Zealand in the Women’s 70 kg division.

In men’s section quarters, Sachin Siwach goes against Treasure Moremi of Botswana in Men’s 60 kg division; Ankush takes on Jade Micock of Seychelles in Men’s 80 kg division, and Narender Berwal takes on Michael Seko of Samoa in the Men’s 90 kg division.

Tags : Boxing, Commonwealth Games, Preeti Pawar, Jadumani, Priya Ganghas, medal