Nishant Dev makes impressive debut at the 2021 AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships

India’s Nishant Dev put up a brilliant performance to progress into the second round of the 71kg category at the 2021 AIBA Men’s Boxing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

India's Nishant Dev celebrates after his 5-0 win over Hungary's Laszlo Kozak in the 71 kg match at the AIBA World Boxing Championships. (Image Credit: Twitter)
By Arnab Mukherji | Oct 27, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

India’s Nishant Dev put up a brilliant performance to progress into the second round of the 71kg category at the 2021 AIBA Men’s Boxing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia on Wednesday. Making his debut at the world’s prestigious event, the Karnataka boxer looked in good touch against Laszlo Kozak as he hit the aggressive mode from the word go. The 20-year-old reigning national champion dominated his opponent from Hungary with fluent attack and sharp punches before winning the bout comprehensively by a unanimous margin.

In the Last-32 stage, Nishant will be up against Mauritian pugilist Merven Clair, who finished in the quarter-finals at the Tokyo Olympics, on Friday. Later tonight, three more Indian boxers will begin their challenge at the event, which has been witnessing strong competition in presence of 650 top boxers from more than 100 countries playing across 13 weight categories.

While Varinder Singh will take on Karen Tonakanyan of Armenia in the 60kg bout, Lakshya Chahar (86kg) will fight against Kim Hyeongkyu of Korea. Govind Sahani (48kg) is the other Indian pugilist to start campaign tonight as he will play Ortiz Arias of Ecuador. Earlier in the matches played late on Tuesday, Deepak Bhoria, Sumit and Narender started their campaign with commanding victories. Up against one of the strong contenders for the title, Azat Usenaliev of Kyrgyzstan, Deepak produced a flawless show in the 51kg opening round match. Despite some resistance from the Asian champion Usenaliev, the 24-year-old Indian managed to secure victory by unanimous margin.

Sumit too was equally dominant during his 75kg opening round match against Jamaican boxer O’Neill Damon as he notched up an easy 5-0 win. On the other hand, Narender faced some stiff challenge from his Polish opponent Oskar Safaryan in the +92kg bout, however the Indian recorded a convincing 4-1 win.

Deepak, Sumit and Narender maintain India’s winning run

Extending India’s winning momentum at the 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships, Deepak Bhoria, Sumit and Narender started their campaign with commanding victories on the second day of the competition in Belgrade, Serbia. Up against one of the strong contenders for the title, Azat Usenaliev of Kyrgyzstan, Deepak produced a flawless show in the 51kg opening round match. Despite some resistance from the Asian champion Usenaliev, the 24-year-old Indian managed to secure victory by unanimous margin.

Sumit’s supreme dominance during 75kg opening round match against O’Neill Damon

Sumit too was equally dominant during his 75kg opening round match against Jamaican boxer O’Neill Damon as he notched up an easy 5-0 win. On the other hand, Narender faced some stiff challenge from his Polish opponent Oskar Safaryan in the +92kg bout, however the Indian recorded a convincing 4-1 win.

This came after seasoned boxer Shiva Thapa’s 5-0 victory against Kenya’s Victor Nyadera in the 63.5kg round-of-64 match which set the tone for India on Day 2 of the event, which has been witnessing strong competition in presence of 650 top boxers from more than 100 countries playing across 13 weight categories. Four Indian boxers will begin their challenge on the third day of the championships on Wednesday. Nishant Dev will be up against Hungary’s Laszlo Kozak in the light middleweight category while Varinder Singh will take on Karen Tonakanyan of Armenia in the 60kg bout. Govind Sahani (48kg) and Lakshya Chahar (86kg) are the other two Indians who will be seen in action tonight.