CHENNAI: Wednesday was a monumental day for Indian boxing with three men entering the ongoing World Championships semifinal in Tashkent. This was a first for India in the history of the competition. There was a sense of excitement after that feat and it seemed like something was brewing with the three semifinalists taking down some big names in the sport.
But before they could move a muscle on Friday, India faced a big blow. Mohammad Hussamuddin, who has had a purple patch and someone who had stunned some accomplished boxers to reach the semis, was forced to forfeit his match due to an injury.
“He had a knee injury in the last bout after which he had pain and swelling. After detailed assessment by the medical team, the team management have decided that he won’t take part in the semifinal bout as he doesn’t want the injury to aggravate,” the Boxing Federation of India, governing body of the sport in the country, issued a press statement.
With one man down, the onus was on Deepak Bhoria (51kg) and Nishant Dev (71kg) to leave a notable impression. Deepak had been picked ahead of Amit Panghal, a former silver medallist in the marquee event. Up against Billal Bennama of France, the Haryana pugilist gave it all and it was neck-and-neck after a strong trade-off between the two in the second round.
In the decider, Deepak got off to an ideal start and even managed to stun his opponent with his stinging combo. The referee was forced to hand Billal a standing count. Despite that, Deepak fell short eventually. Perhaps, Billal’s constant jabs and use of space inside the ring in the earlier two rounds worked in his favour. After a review, the Frenchman’s hand was raised. He won by 4-3 verdict.
On a personal level, this is massive bronze for Deepak, who is supported by Olympic Gold Quest. It could mean he’ll continue to occupy the 51kg category for India ahead of Panghal, who was part of the last Olympics. For someone who was considered too frail to be part of combat sport like boxing, the Army man has certainly come a long way. He had also spent most of 2022 away from the ring due to a shoulder injury and this performance could propel him to bigger bouts in the coming days.
The narrative was somewhat similar for Nishant (71kg), the third boxer in contention for a spot in the final. Nishant put up a fierce fight against reigning Asian champion Aslanbek Shymbergenov of Kazakhstan but his efforts were not enough as he lost by 2-5 verdict. This is a massive learning curve for the 22-year-old Indian, who possesses a high ceiling (as was evident during the event). “I’m very happy to come so far and secure a bronze. I want to walk away with gold now,” Nishant had said after confirming a spot in the semifinals. Given his talent, that is not out of question in the future championships.
The results were not kind for India but the three bronze medals is a massive shot in the arm for Indian boxing, especially with the Asian Games later this year and Olympics next year. And the fact that all the medals came in categories that are part of the Paris Olympics programme is a big lift.
The boxers will come back and reflect on their performances ahead of the continental games, which will have the Olympic quotas on the offer. Over 500 pugilists, including several Olympic medallists, are part of the ongoing championships in Tashkent. Apart from the bronze medal, Deepak, Nishant and Hussamuddin also walked away with $50,000 each.