World Boxing Cup: Jadumani overcomes Trowbridge challenge to reach SF
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : A resilient display under pressure allowed national champion Jadumani Singh Mandengbam to overcome Ellis Trowbridge of Great Britain to reach the semifinals of the 50kg category at the World Boxing Cup Brazil 2025 on Wednesday. Trowbridge, the 2024 World Boxing Cup Finals silver medallist, began the bout in his usual aggressive style, but the Indian was prepared to absorb the pressure and find ways to land his punches, earning a 3:2 split decision in his favour. Jadumani will now face former Asian U-22 champion Asilbek Jalilov for a place in the final. However, India’s challenge in the 75kg, 85kg and 90+ kg categories came to an end after all three boxers went down fighting in their respective bouts.
Nikhil Dubey lost the 75kg bout 0:5 against local favourite Kaue Belini, while Jugnoo was at the wrong end of the 1:4 split decision against France’s Abdoulaye Traore in 85kg. Narender came close to beating Kazakhstan's Daniyal Saparbay, even getting a 30-27 verdict from one judge, but lost the 90+ kg bout on a 3:2 split decision. Later on Wednesday, Manish Rathore (55kg) will take on Paris Olympian Yusulf Chothia of Australia; Hitesh (70kg) will meet Gabriele Guidi Rontani of Italy, while Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) has to overcome the challenge of Denis Bril of Germany.
Earlier, Lakshya Chahar had a disappointing start to his campaign, suffering a 0-5 defeat against Brazil’s Wanderley Pereira in the opening 80kg bout on Day 1. Chahar, India's reigning national light heavyweight champion, faced a formidable challenge in Pereira, a Paris Olympian and 2023 World Championship silver medallist. The Brazilian dominated the contest, earning near-perfect scores from four of the five judges. Pereira secured an impressive 149 out of 150 points, while Chahar managed 135. The tournament also serves as a key international test for Indian boxers competing under the newly introduced weight divisions ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
