Five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) stood just one win away from becoming the first Indian male boxer to claim two world champio...
Five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) stood just one win away from becoming the first Indian male boxer to claim two world championship medals after he advanced to the quarterfinals of the ongoing edition in Belgrade.
The 27-year-old from Assam defeated France’s Lounes Hamraoui 4-1 in a late night pre-quarterfinal bout on Monday to move ahead. Thapa had claimed a bronze medal in the 2015 edition of the tournament in Doha.
He was the only Indian boxer to register a win on Monday night as four others, including Asian silver-medallist Deepak Bohria (51kg), bowed out of the competition.
Thapa will square off against Turkey’s Kerem Oezmen in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night.
Monday night’s victory was also revenge for Thapa, who had lost to Hamraoui at the Alexis Vastine Memorial Tournament in Nantes, France last year.
SHIVA SAILS THROUGH 🥊🥳@shivathapa (63.5 kg) puts up yet another impressive performance & walks into the quarter finals of #MensWorldChampionships in style as he defeats 🇫🇷's Lounes Hamraoui 4️⃣:1️⃣ in the last-16 👊🏻#PunchMeinHaiDum#boxing#aibawchs2021 pic.twitter.com/AjGghWs96J
— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) November 1, 2021
Apart from Thapa, four others Indian will also be fighting their quarterfinal bouts this evening.
Akash Kumar (54kg) will face Venezuela’s Yoel Finol. Narender Berwal (+92kg) will go up against Azerbaijan’s Mahammad Abdullayev, while Nishant Dev (71kg) will take on Russia’s Vadim...
