In a major turn of events, Haryana's Joni upset World Youth Championship gold medalist Ankushita Boro of Assam to book her spot in the finals of the Second Youth National Boxing Championship, here at the National Boxing Academy last evening.
Joni (60 kg) came into the bout as an underdog, however, not short on confidence as she kept a safe distance from her opponent while landing her punches.
The Assamese was startled by her opponent's quick movement inside the ring and had no answers to it. Although the bout lasted all three rounds, Joni had swept aside the challenge with a comprehensive 5-0 win. She will take on Hema Danu of Uttarakhand in the final clash tomorrow.
Haryana's girls continued their dominating run in the semi-finals also as Sakshi (57 kg), Nitu (48 kg), Manisha (64 kg) and Anamika (51 kg) breezed past their respective opponents to fight for the coveted gold medal.
Anamika left nothing to chance as she stepped on it from the word go. Her ferocious punches prompted the referee to halt the contest in the very first round itself as Manipur's M. Puja Devi was declared not fit enough to continue.
In the men's section, boxers from the SSCB stable didn't have to break much of a sweat as they registered emphatic victories.
In the 69 kg category, SSCB's Vijaydeep peppered Abhilash of Delhi with his vicious hooks and will look to punch his way to the gold medal in the finals against Maharashtra's Nikhil Dubey who defeated Punjab's Parlad Singh.
In the light welterweight category, Akash (SSCB) also booked his spot in the finals after he defeated Daman and Diu's Amit Kumar. He will take on Haryana's Mohit in the summit clash after he romped past Chandigarh's Ashish with ease.
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