New Delhi, May 24 National Games bronze medallist Sanju M.S. banked on her aggressive boxing style to decimate her Japanese opponent to reach the quarterfinals of the women’s 60kg weight category of the 4th Thailand Open International Boxing 2025 in Bangkok on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Armyman and National Games silver medallist Pawan Bartwal mixed his aggressive intent with quality defence to get the better of his local challenger in the opening round of the men’s 55 kg weight category.
India have fielded a 19-member strong contingent in the prestigious boxing tournament, held under the aegis of a World Boxing-backed Asian body, that has attracted talented boxers from powerhouses like China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South Korea and host Thailand.
On Saturday, Sanju blanked Japan’s Sarii Kokufu 5:0 while Bartwal fought back to beat Thailand’s Thanarat Saengphet 4:1.
Sanju, who has made a shift to traditional boxing after winning laurels in kickboxing, is known for her attacking style and went all guns blazing from the first round itself against Japan’s Kokufu.
The 25-year-old landed a flurry of punches on the Japanese face in the second minute of the first round and the referee had to call for a time-out to ask the Japanese to adjust her headgear.
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 seal the semi-final spot.
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, Thai boxer Thanarat Saengphet looked slightly 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.
Results:
Men:
55kg: Pawan Bartwal bt Thanarat Saengphet (Thailand) 4:1
60kg: Nikhil lost to Nakayama Sota (Japan) 0:5
65kg: Amit Kumar lost to Mark Ashley Fajardo (Philippines) 0:5
70kg: Hemant Yadav lost to Ismoilov Mukhammadazizbek (Uzbekistan) 0:5.
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