Pune emerge winners at 18th AK Mishra All India Boxing Championship

NEW DELHI: Holi festivities coupled with scintillating finals action of the 18th AK Mishra All India Boxing Championship presented by Monnet Ispat & Energy Limited, meant a double treat for all boxing fans at Chandigarh.
The tournament organised by the Chandigarh Amateur Boxing Association under the aegis of the Indian Boxing Federation, held from March 16 to 20, 2011, resulted in another grand success, with Pune succeeding in defending their title.
The first bout of the day began with T Prem Kumar of Andhra Pradesh take on Amarjeet Singh of Army MEG Bangalore in the light fly weight category. The army man entered the ring looking determined to prove his mettle. And that is exactly what he did winning the bout by a huge margin of 8:3.
In the fly weight category, it was Sunil Shukla of Uttrakhand up against Mahimainathan of Pune. The 2010, inter state champion from Pune was in no mood to give away points and registered a huge win on points 7:1, claiming the first gold of the day for Pune.
The next encounter in the bantam weight section saw Ramavtar of ITBP take on Naveen Kumar of Delhi. The bout again witnessed a massive victory go in favour of the Delhi boxer on points 11:2.
In the light weight section Shahanshar representing Madhya Pradesh took on Pradeep Kumar of Bangalore in the fight for gold. The army man proved too tough for his opponent to handle as he won on points 8:2.
Bronze medalist at the recently concluded 34th National Games, Mayengbam Thomash Meitei of Army MEG Bangalore emerged winner in the light welter weight category on points 3:1 fighting against Bikramjeet Singh of Punjab. Ecstatic after his victory Meitei said," I am very happy having won a gold here. This is a big confidence boost for me and I can now target on performing better at the national level. A win here will also help me realize my dream of participating at international level".
The welter weight category saw Narender Singh of Punjab go down against Ravindra Patcha of Madhya Pradesh on points 1:4. " The fight was tough today but my will power and rigorous practice paid off. I am very pleased with a victory here, my next goal would be to prove my mettle at the Nationals as well as the Federation Cup", remarked a jubilant Ravindra.
The next bout in the middle weight section presented Pune with another gold as Harpal registered a win over Sukhdeep Singh of Punjab courtesy better overall performance, despite their points being 1all.
In the light heavy weight section, Kuldeep Sharma of Haryana got the better of Berinder Singh of Punjab winning on points 2:0.
Sujeet Kumar won another laurel for Pune as he beat Amit Kumar of Army MEG Bangalore on points 5:1 in the heavy weight category. The next fight also ended in Pune's favor with G Shanmugha Prabhu registering a big win in the super heavy weight section on points 9:0.
Pune emerged as overall winners followed by Army MEG Bangalore as runners up and Punjab coming in third.
With Monnet Ispat & Energy Limited backing the tournament, the event makes for a fine example of corporate support directed toward nurturing the sport in the country. "The tournament has been a huge success and has witnessed spectacular boxing talents from around the country fight for glory. It is a fine example of the ever growing repute of boxing as a sport in our country.
The tournament is a strong platform to nurture the budding boxers and to prepare them for upcoming national and international level boxing tournaments. Monnet Ispat and Energy Limited has a long standing association with IABF and further aims to strengthen the association to build a platform for the amateur boxers", said Mr. Sandeep Jajodia, executive vice chairman & managing director, Monnet Ispat & Energy Limited.
Kindly find attached pictures of the prize distribution ceremony of the tournament.