Youth Men's National Boxing: 11 Services pugilists enter finals; six from Haryana in title contention

New Delhi, June 18 Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) continued their dominant run as 11 pugilists from their squad reached the finals of their respective weight categories in the sixth Youth Men's National Boxing Championships in Gangtok, Sikkim after winning their respective semifinal matches.

Haryana were the next best as six of their boxers reached the finale.

SSCB's Arman (80kg) produced a top show in the ring as he defeated Prasant Khatana of Madhya Pradesh by a unanimous decision to reach the final of the tournament. Arman dominated the bout from the get-go and landed some heavy punches on his opponent to gain an early advantage in the first round.

The next two rounds also saw the Services' boxer dominating his opponent with swift movement and accurate punches. He will now face Ishan Kataria of Haryana in the final.

SSCB's Rishi also played brilliantly in the semifinal and defeated Haryana's Vishesh by 3-0 to reach the final of the Championships.

Apart from Arman and Rishi, nine other boxers - Aryan (51kg), Ashish (54kg), Nikhil (57kg), M Hanthoi (60kg), Ankush (67kg), Preet Malik (71kg), Yogesh (75kg), Ayran (86kg) and Harsh (92kg) have also reached the finals.

Haryana's pugilists also showcased tremendous display in the semifinals as a total of six boxers from the state will play for the final prize.

Asian Junior Champion Bharat Joon (92kg) was at his imperious best during his semifinal bout as he defeated Avchal Shai of Madhya Pradesh by RSC.

Bharat Joon began the bout with aggressive intent and gained an advantage over his opponent in the first round. The referee soon stopped the contest to declare Joon the winner. He will now play against Harsh of SSCB in the final.

Apart from Joon, Akshat(57kg), Yashwardhan Singh (63.5kg), Rupesh (67kg), Ishan Kataria (80kg) and Lakshay Rathi (92+kg) will also represent Haryana in the finals.