Strandja memorial: Unstoppable Amit in semis

Sofia, (Bulgaria) February 9

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Amit Panghal and national champion Sachin entered the semifinals of the 75th Strandja Memorial boxing event here.

Amit continued his fine form to grab a 5-0 unanimous decision win over Aldarkhishig Battulga of Mongolia in the 51kg class.

Coming from a dominating win in his last match, Amit looked lethal. He controlled the bout right from the start, giving his opponent no chance to make a comeback.

He was so dominant that he won each round with a 5-0 verdict en route the semifinals.

Sachin (57kg) was equally dominating against Kapanadze Giorgi of Georgia. The southpaw boxer took some time in finding his rhythm but once settled, he was a force to reckon with.

Sachin won the first round 4-1 and took the game heads on in the second one, using his counterattacking game to strike some effective left hooks.

His opponent tried to be aggressive in the third round but Sachin comfortably won the bout with a 5-0 verdict.

Sachin will now face Ukraine’s Abduraimov Aider in the semifinals on Saturday.

Playing his first bout of the tournament after receiving a bye in the pre-quarters, Rajat (67kg) wasted no time and went into the aggressive mode from the go.

Within 37 seconds, Rajat delivered a straight jab, breaking his opponent’s defence and disbalancing him, causing the referee to stop the bout and declare Rajat the winner by knockout.