Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing: Ambekar Meetei, Aditya, Sikander shine in U19 section on Day 3
Jakarta, July 7
India continued its impressive run at the Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing Championships with a series of strong performances in the U-19 category on Day 3 in Jakarta, led by Ambekar Meetei, who delivered a dominant win in the men's division.
Competing in the 50kg category, Ambekar Meetei secured a commanding victory over Chinese Taipei's Qi-You Xiao via RSC in the first round, showcasing complete control from the outset.
In the boys' division, Aditya (55kg) registered a convincing 5:0 win over Kyrgyzstan's Daniel Tashtanbekov, while Sikander (60kg) followed it up with a clinical 5:0 victory against Korea's Taemin Yang.
Adding to India's tally, Devendra Choudhary (75kg) produced a strong performance to defeat Chinese Taipei's Sung-Lin Tsai via RSC in the second round, underlining India's strength across weight categories.
In the 70kg bout, Prashant put up a spirited and closely contested performance against Kazakhstan's Bibarys Ashirvay. After losing the opening round 4:1, he made a strong comeback to take the second round 3:2, before narrowly conceding the final round 3:2, resulting in a hard-fought defeat.
India's consistent performances in the U-19 segment reflect the depth and quality of its youth boxing programme, with several boxers progressing confidently through the early rounds.
The Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing Championships, being held in Jakarta from July 5 to July 16, continue to provide a key platform for India's young talent to gain valuable international exposure and build toward future elite competitions.
India opened its campaign at the U-19 Asian Boxing Championships in emphatic fashion as World Boxing Futures Cup gold medallist Chandrika Pujari and silver medallist Joyshree Devi registered dominant victories on the opening day in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Competing in the preliminary rounds, Chandrika outboxed Mongolia's Lakham Tsendbaatar to secure a unanimous 5-0 victory in the girls' 51kg category. Joyshree followed with an equally commanding display, forcing a second-round Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) against Chinese Taipei's Chen Ning Hong in the girls' 54kg division to book her place in the next round.
The Boxing Federation of India has fielded a strong contingent across the U-19 and U-23 categories, with 20 boxers competing in each age group. The championships provide an important platform for India's next generation to test themselves against Asia's finest, as the country looks to build on its recent success and continue its dominance on the continental stage.
— IANS
Reader Comments
So proud of Chandrika Pujari and Joyshree Devi too! Our girls are dominating right from Day 1. The Boxing Federation deserves credit for fielding 40 boxers across U-19 and U-23 categories. This kind of exposure will help us dominate at senior levels too. Sikander and Aditya made it look easy with those unanimous 5:0 wins.
Good results, but we need to be careful about overconfidence. Prashant's loss shows there's still work to do against top Asian opposition. The Kazakhs and Uzbeks are historically strong. Let's hope our coaches analyse those narrow defeats and improve tactics. Jab tak gold na mile, celebration rukni nahi chahiye. Still, proud of the team!
Loving this wave of young Indian boxers! Chandrika is a World Boxing Futures Cup gold medallist and she's showing why. Joyshree with that RSC win - she didn't give her opponent any breathing room. The U-19 team looks stacked. Just wish there was more coverage of these events on mainstream Indian sports channels. These kids deserve recognition!
Great to see India dominating in Jakarta. But I worry about the gap between U-19 success and senior level performance. We've seen many talented junior boxers fade away. The federation needs to ensure proper transition - more international tournaments, better training infrastructure in states like Manipur and Haryana where these boxers come from. Meetei from Manipur, right? They produce amazing talent but need support.
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