State trio among 5 assured of medals at World Boxing Futures Cup

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Mar 13 : State trio are among the five Indian boxers assured of podium finishes at the World Boxing Futures Cup after a series of impressive quarterfinal wins on Friday in Bangkok.
India's medal hopes were strengthened with victories from Gunjan (48kg), Chirom Joyshree Devi (54kg), Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei (50kg), Chandrika Pujari (51kg) and Radhamani Longjam (57kg), all of whom advanced to the semifinals, thereby assuring the country five medals at the tournament.
 In the morning session, Gunjan secured a convincing 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Azerbaijan's Gular Huseynova, while Joyshree Devi produced a dominant display to defeat Japan's Yura Kanemaru by Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) in the first round.
Ambekar Meetei also progressed with a 4-1 victory over Japan's Akira Uekubo in the men's 50kg category.
The evening session saw two more Indian boxers advance, with Chandrika Pujari (51kg) defeating Spain's Andrea Buelga Garcia by RSC in the second round, while Radhamani Longjam (57kg) registered a 4-1 win over England's Siobhan Haley.
Meanwhile, Sahil Duhan (60kg) went down 1-4 to France's David Harutyunyan in his last eight bout.
Both Radhamani and Joyshree train at Sarita Regional Boxing Academy while Ambekar is a student of National Sports Academy, Imphal.
The youth tournament in Bangkok serves as a key trial for the National team selection and a qualifier for the 4th Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.         (With PTI inputs)