Sachin Siwach, Lakshya Chahar lead SSCB charge into semifinals of National Boxing Championship

Sachin Siwach and Lakshya Chahar spearheaded a dominant performance by the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) on day five of the 8th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championship, securing nine semi-final spots.

Siwach, a former World Youth Champion, delivered a commanding 5-0 victory over Ashish Kumar of Himachal Pradesh in the lightweight (55-60kg) category, while Asian Games representative Chahar also sealed a spot in the semifinals with a dominant win in the light heavyweight (75-80kg) category.

Joining Sachin and Chahar with wins on Saturday were Jadumani Singh Mandengbram (Flyweight), Pawan Bartwal (Bantamweight), Hitesh (Light Middleweight), Deepak (Welterweight), Jugnoo (Cruiserweight), Vishal (Heavyweight), and Gaurav Chauhan (Super Heavyweight), making SSCB a formidable contender for their third consecutive team title.

Shiva Thapa, the reigning champion in the Welterweight (60-65kg) category, continued his fine run as he edged closer to defending his title with a quarter-final win over Manipur’s Henthoi Mayengbam.

Thapa will face Himachal Pradesh’s Abhinash Jamwal in the semi-finals.

Jamwal, who upset 2022 Youth World Champion Vanshaj Kumar in the earlier rounds, continued his momentum with a 4-1 victory over Haryana’s Anshul in the quarterfinals.

The event will employ a 10-point scoring system, with each state unit able to enter up to ten boxers. Team SSCB, the two-time defending champions, entered the tournament as the favourites while seeking their third consecutive title.