TASHKENT: Mohammad Hussamuddin (57 kg), who won bronze in the Asian and Commonwealth Games, continued his winning streak on Friday by moving on to the pre-quarterfinals of the IBA Men's World Boxing Championships 2023.
Hussamuddin faced Lyu Ping of China in the Round of 32 fight and used his quick footwork and cunning positioning to land a series of blows in the opening round to earn the upper hand.
The southpaw from India raised the stakes in the second round after winning the first by unanimous decision and took the initiative to hit his opponent hard while escaping Lyu's attacks. Hussamuddin's speed and ferocity were too much for the Chinese boxer to handle, and she ultimately lost the fight 5-0. On Sunday, he will next face Savvin Eduard of Russia in the pre-quarterfinal.
Ashish, who won the silver medal at the Asian Championships, lost to Cuba's Arlen Lopez in the Round of 32 on Friday, handing India a defeat.
In the opening round, Ashish tried to take the initiative, but Arlen successfully guarded his position and scored some powerful counterpunches to take the round. In the second round, the Indian boxer made a tremendous comeback and dominated the opponents to win the bout.
Both boxers engaged in a ferocious exchange of blows in the tensely contested fight's final round, which had everything to play for. Both boxers displayed a lot of passion and bravery, but after the match was reviewed, the Cuban boxer prevailed 5-2.
Naveen (92 kg) will compete against South Korean Jeong Jae-min later on Friday night.
Two Indian boxers will compete in their Round of 32 matches on Saturday in their respective divisions. Nishant Dev (71 kg) will compete against Lee Sangmin of Korea, while Akash (67 kg) will compete against Fu Mingke of China.
538 boxers from 107 nations, including several Olympic medalists, are competing in the current event.
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