Two Assam boxers advanced to the quarterfinals at the 8th Men’s and Women’s National Youth Boxing Championship underway at the Don Bosco University Hall in Sonapur near Guwahati. Mridupam Baruah moved into the last eight in the boys’ 75kg category, defeating his Mizoram opponent 4-1 in the pre-quarterfinals on Wednesday. In the girls’ 48kg category, Monika Dal also secured a quarterfinal berth with a 4-1 win over a Tamil Nadu boxer.
Later in the evening session, four more Assam boxers were set to compete in the pre-quarterfinals. Doingin Lukoi and Sandip Basumatary were scheduled to fight in the boys’ 65kg and 80kg categories respectively. Adashwirni Changmai and Nikshita Konwar were to compete in the girls’ 54kg and 65kg categories. The championship is being organized by the Assam Amateur Boxing Association with support from the Boxing Federation of India.
BFI president Ajay Singh, who is attending the event, praised the arrangements and described Assam’s hosting as being of international standard. He said the future of Indian boxing lies in the Northeast. “India will host the Commonwealth Games in 2030. We are confident that Indian boxers will deliver strong performances on home soil. Boxers from the Northeast will play a key role in that,” Singh said. The championship will conclude on April 19.