PANAJI
Twenty-nine-year-old Goan boxer Pralhad Panda made history by winning the Indian Boxing Council's (IBC) West Zone championship title, knocking out his Hyderabad-based opponent DN Sai Havish in the first round of the title bout in the featherweight category. Two other Goan boxers, Kailas Gauns and Umesh Chavan, also registered victories during Goa's biggest ever boxing showdown, Susegado Strike Fight Night 2.0, that featured 16 boxers across India and Afghanistan, including four Indian women boxers fighting for honours in the boxing ring.
Panda went on the offensive and wasted no time in going for the win, managing to secure a comprehensive knockout, in the face of an opponent with better reach and height advantage. It took one minute and six seconds to knock out teenager Havish, winning the prestigious Indian Boxing Council's (IBC) West Zone championship title, becoming the first professional Goan boxer to win the accolade.
"This was my very first title fight. I used to dream about winning titles since I was a kid. This is a dream-come-true scenario for me. I have got the best coach in Goa, Pravin Shirodkar, who has been a main pillar for me," Panda said after winning the title.
Incidentally, promoters, Susegado Strike Fight Night 2.0 hosted Goa's first-ever IBC title bout during the major boxing event, which was held at the International Centre, Goa, at Dona Paula on Friday, attended by IBC Chief Operations Officer Vivek Raja, among other dignitaries.
In the two other fights featuring victorious Goan boxers, Chimbel's Kailas Gauns (30), who professionally debuted in the maiden edition of Susegado Strike Fight Night last year, won unanimously after six rounds of intense action against 18-year-old Nishang Rimo from Arunachal Pradesh in the super flyweight category. Mapusa's Umesh Chavan (28) was declared a unanimous winner in the super featherweight category, despite being stretched by his opponent Yumnam Santosh (29) from Manipur over six rounds.
The international fighter participating in the event, 26-year-old Taher Khuram, knocked out his opponent, Manikandan R. (24) from Tamil Nadu, in the first round itself. Khuram, who has two career knockouts in three previous professional fights, took just two minutes and forty-nine seconds in the first round to down his opponent with a powerful punching blitz.
Haryana’s Raj Sahiba (22), winner of last year’s edition, defeated Lovely Kumari (22) from Punjab by unanimous decision in the super lightweight category. In the featherweight division, Madhya Pradesh’s Kamla Roka (29) secured a technical knockout (TKO) against Kerala’s Arundhati Nair (20) in just over a minute of the penultimate round. In the featherweight category, Mizoram’s F. Zoramchhana (25) dominated Ayush Singh (20) from Chhattisgarh, winning by third-round TKO. Haryana’s Sharwan Ranjeet Das (22) delivered a fifth-round knockout against Hyderabad’s Mohammad Junaid (19) in the super flyweight category, sealing a decisive win.
