Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) and Haryana pugilists once again stamped their authority in the Indian boxing by clinching the team championship titles of the boys and girls’ categories respectively at the 2022 Sub-Junior Girls and Boys National Boxing Championships at the Inspire Institute of Sports in Bellary, Karnataka.
The reigning national elite men’s champions, SSCB pulled of a sensational show on the final day of the competition as all of their nine boxers emerged victorious by unanimous decisions to take home gold medals as well as the boys team championship trophy with 73 points, finishing at top of the table with 10 medals, including one bronze.
Aakash Badhwar was the most impressive among the SSCB boxers. He thrashed Haryana’s Vinit Kumar in the boys 40kg final to win the gold medal. For his brilliant show throughout the tournament, Aakash was awarded with the Best Boxer Award.
Manashu (35kg), Harsh (37kg), Priyanshu (43kg), Devang (55kg), Jashandeep (58kg), Nakul Sharma (61kg), Prashant (64kg) and Hardik Panwar (+70kg) were the other gold medal winners for SSCB.
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh claimed second and third position with 58 and 24 points respectively in the boys’ section. While Haryana won five gold and three silver medals, Uttar Pradesh ended their campaign with three silver and two bronze medals.
Haryana’s Mahesh, who beat Girvaan Singh of Chhattisgarh in the boys 46kg final, was adjudged Most Promising Boxer while Jharkhand’s Anish Kumar Sinha received Best Challenger Award for his brilliant display.
In the girls’ section, led by Payal’s (46kg) 5-0 win against Tamil Nadu boxer Gunasri and Lakshu’s (63kg) dominating RSC win against Nabam Ania of Arunachal Pradesh, seven Haryana boxers won the finals and helped the team finish on the top position with 60 points, winning 10 medals, including seven gold, one silver and two bronze.
Sonika (38kg), Aarju (42kg), Joni (44kg), Deepti (48kg) and Bhoomika (50kg) were Haryana’s other gold medal winners.
Punjab and Maharashtra finished on the second and third position respectively in the girl category with 38 and 27 points.
Ragini Muttu (34kg), Mushkaan (54kg) and Yogima Kalyal (57kg) added three gold medals to Punjab’s tally which also consists of two silver and one bronze.
For Maharashtra, Aarya Garde and Samiksha Solanki put up a solid show to claim gold medals by securing comprehensive 5-0 wins in their respective finals. While Aarya outperformed Goa’s Sagun Shinde in the 36kg, Samiksha defeated Uttar Pradesh’s Sadhna comfortably in the 40 kg.
Pune’s Aarya, the standout performer in the tournament, was awarded with the Most Promising Boxer Award.
Meanwhile Imphal-based Joyshree Devi handed Manipur its only gold medal at the tournament by clinching a commanding 5-0 victory against Haryana’s Hanshikha in the 60kg.
Joyshree was adjudged the Best Boxer Award in the girls’ section while Goa’s Chandirika Pujari was named as the Best Challenger Boxer.
Chandirika signed off with a silver medal after fighting hard against Haryana’s Joni in a split 1-4 loss in the girls 44kg final.
The championship witnessed participation of 621 boxers, including 348 in the boys’ section, from 31 teams across the country where each bout was played with three rounds of two minutes each and a minute’s break between each round.
BFI Media Release