Pawan Barthwal has been an Army man since 2017. Whether serving the nation on the battlefield or representing the country inside a boxing ring, the 26-year-old from Syupuri village in Uttarakhand has demonstrated exceptional resilience when confronted with challenges. The 9 Garhwal Rifles officer hasn’t been taught to take a step back.On Thursday, making his debut at the World Championships in Liverpool and starting India’s campaign at on one of the toughest boxing stages, Barthwal gave the country a winning start by registering a hard-fought victory over Paris Olympian, Brazil’s Michael Douglas Trindade, in a close men’s 55kg bout at the M&S Bank Arena.Barthwal showed tactical maturity and ring control under pressure, waiting for his moment before landing sharp punches that set the tone for a thrilling and fiery exchange between the two pugilists.Barthwal started cautiously, dodging early swings. A fine bob-and-weave move midway through the first round opened the door for a clean strike as he took the first round 3-2. Trindade responded strongly and the judges awarded the round to Brazil.In the final round, Barthwal displayed tight defense and calculated aggression to seal victory in a split verdict. He will now meet Asian Games bantamweight gold medallist Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov of Uzbekistan in the second round on Sunday.“Pawan relied on his will power. He gave it his all in such a tough fight. Coming from the armed forces, he is not one to give up. He will meet another strong opponent in his next bout. He is ready,” said men’s head coach Dharmendra Yadav after the bout.
Poll
Who do you think will win the next bout for Pawan Barthwal against Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov?
10 Indian boxers get byesIndia has fielded a 20-member contingent at the World Championships. The contingent has been handed a decent draw with medal contender Hitesh Gulia (men’s 70kg), Abhinash Jamwal (men’s 65kg), Nikhat Zareen (women’s 51kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (women’s 70kg) avoiding tricky opponents early. While Gulia, Jamwal, Lovlina have a bye in the opening round, Nikhat will take on Jennifer Lozana of US.Sakshi advances tooSakshi, a World Boxing Cup gold medallist, continued India’s strong march at the event after clinching a Referee Stops Contest (RSC) win against Ukrainian Viktoriia Shkeul, in the women’s 54kg.Sakshi reached the pre-quarterfinals after sealing the contest in the second round, forcing the referee to issue two standing counts to Shkeul before halting the bout. Sakshi made good use of her footwork, which helped to position herself for effective attacks while avoiding punches.
