Bangkok. India’s Sachin Siwach (57kg) and Sanjeet Kumar (92kg) took a step towards qualifying for the Paris Olympics by progressing to the next round with easy wins against their respective opponents at the Boxing World Qualifiers here on Thursday.
Sachin defeated Turkey’s Olympian Batuhan Ciftci 5-0 in a unanimous decision in the pre-quarterfinals. Sanjeet defeated Venezuela’s Luis Sanchez by the same margin in the Round of 32. Sachin will have to win two more matches to qualify for the Paris Games as only three boxers from his 57 kg category will get a place in the Olympics. Sanjeet got a bye in the Round of 64 and now he will also have to defeat two more boxers because all the four boxers who make it to the semi-finals in his weight category will get the quota for the Paris Games.
Sachin attacked the experienced boxer from the first round itself and his strategy proved successful as the Indian boxer dominated from the beginning. Sachin registered a one-sided victory in the second round as well. Ciftci tried to make a comeback in the third and final round but it was not enough as Sachin had taken a strong lead.
In the match between Sanjeet and Sanchez, the Indian boxer took the lead from the beginning. Asian Championship 2021 gold medalist Sanjeet did not give any chance to the opponent to gain rhythm in the first round. Sanchez tried to make a comeback in the second and third rounds but the experienced Sanjeet kept his distance from him and won by hitting punches on the counterattack. Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medalist Amit Panghal will face Mauricio Ruiz of Mexico in the 51 kg category on Thursday itself, while Jasmine will face Mahsati Hamzayeva of Azerbaijan in the women’s 57 kg category.