Strandja memorial: Panghal, Akash punch quarters ticket

Sofia (Bulgaria), February 7

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Amit Panghal, national champion Akash and Abhimanyu Loura put up a stellar show to move into the quarterfinals of the 75th Strandja Memorial tournament here today.

Amit had Rudyk Maksym’s challenge to tackle as he eyed his place in the quarters in the 51kg category. The experienced campaigner quickly got into his groove and his ability to efficiently get into the attacking position was on display throughout the bout.

The first two rounds were all about taking on the opponent, while in the third, Amit employed his defensive tactics to frustrate his Ukrainian opponent and capitalise on his errors, advancing with a dominant 5-0 unanimous decision win. Amit will face Aldarkhishig Battulga of Mongolia on Friday.

Akash (71kg) was up against Traore Makan of France. Akash started slow but soon picked up the pace as he landed a flurry of punches, surprising his opponent and gaining a significant lead.

Akash continued to dominate in the second round as well. Traore did make a comeback in the third but Akash’s exploits in the first two rounds were enough to give him a 3-1 win. Akash will now take on Mckeever Eugene of Ireland on Friday.

Abhimanyu (80kg) showed a similar display against Monny Raphael of France. Standing at 6’3”, the Haryana boxer made full use of his long reach as he delivered lethal punches.

Abhimanyu grabbed the win with a 5-0 verdict and will face the Asian Games gold medallist China’s Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan in the quarterfinal on Friday.