Men’s Boxing World Championships: Akash, Rohit exits in last-16; Sanjeet, Nishant win away from confirming medal

Indian boxers Rohit Mor and Akash Sangwan bowed out from the Men’s Boxing World Championships on Monday. They bowed out after suffering losses in the pre-quarterfinals in Belgrade, Serbia.

Akash, who was competing in the 67kg bracket, started the game with aggressive intent against Kevin Brown of Cuba. However, the Indian could not match his Cuban counter-parts technical prowess and secured a victory by unanimous decision. Brown will face Georgia’s Lasha Guruli in the quarterfinals of the Boxing World Championships

Debutant Rohit Mor has also suffered a heartbreaking exit after his impressive run ended in the 57kg pre-quarterfinals. He lost against Kazakhstan’s Serik Temirzhanov by 1-4.

Earlier during matches played late in the night on Sunday, Sanjeet and Nishant Dev joined Akash Kumar (54kg) and Narender (+92) in the Last-8 stage with come-from-behind victories.

Having lost the opening round, Sanjeet, recovered well in time against Georgian opponent Giorgi Tchigladze. Not only did he win the next round, but also the 92kg Last-16 contest 4-1 comfortably in the end.

Similarly, on the other hand, while playing in the 71kg pre-quarterfinals bout, debutant Nishant struggled in the early part of the game.

However, the reigning national champion from Karnataka, turned the tables quite handsomely in the later stages of the match. He hit some sharp and precise body blows against the Mexican Alvarez Verde to tilt the result in his favor. The closely-fought match ended 3-2 in his favor at the Boxing World Championships.

Sanjeet, Nishant just win away to confirm medal at Men’s Boxing World Championships

All hope is not lost for India as Sanjeet and Nishant are just one win away from a medal. Sanjeet will take on Italian pugilist Aziz Mouhiidine, while Nishant will face Russia’s Vadim Musaev on Tuesday.

The Boxing Federation of India has fielded a 13-member contingent. All the current national champions have made it into the squad for the Boxing World Championships. Over 650 top boxers have participated from more than 100 countries from across the world.