In a big setback for India, ace Indian boxer Shiva Thapa suffered a shock defeat on Thursday to crash out of the ongoing IBA Men’s World Championships on Thursday.

CHENNAI:  In a big setback for India, ace Indian boxer Shiva Thapa suffered a shock defeat Thursday to crash out of the ongoing IBA Men’s World Championships on Thursday.

Thapa (63.5kg), who is the most experienced member of the team, is a former medallist in the competition and was expected to go deep. The six-time Asian Championship medallist was No 2 seed and had received a bye in the first round. However, Dos Reis Yuri of Brazil proved to be a stiff battle as Shiva lost 3-4 (post-bout review).

Earlier in the day, Narender Berwal, Govind Sahani and Deepak Kumar won their respective bouts. Narender put up an impressive display against Muhammad Abroridinov of Tajikistan to win by a split verdict. It was a battle of 2022 Asian Championship

s bronze medallists (both had won bronze late last year). And the bout lived up to promise with both pugilists giving it all.

But it was Narender who held the edge after the opening round after some hefty punches. In the following two rounds, a boxer from Haryana continued to pile on the pressure and take control of the proceedings. The Indians had done enough to win by a 4-1 score. Through to the pre-quarters, Narender will be intent on entering the medal rounds. But he will face a tricky opponent in Fernando Arzola, a 2021 World Youth Championships bronze medallist from Cuba, next. 

Shiva Thapa time @AjaySingh_SG l @debojo_m#MWCHs#TeamIndia#WorldChampionships#PunchMeinHaiDum#Boxing @shivathapa pic.twitter.com/k4NeHsxjha

— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) May 4, 2023

Earlier, 2022 Thailand Open champion Govind and 2019 Asian Championships silver medallist Deepak also cruised past their respective opponents. The focus was on Deepak, who got the nod ahead of the more-experienced Amit Panghal, who had won gold in last year’s Commonwealth Games. Moreover, his weight category is part of the Olympic programme.

Deepak showed glimpses of why he’s considered a big talent as he dominated his fight against Luis Delgado of Ecuador. However, his real test will be his next fight as he’ll be up against a serious contender for the top prize. He’ll face reigning champ Saken Bibossinov of Kazakhstan. Govind also had it easy against Mehron Shafiev of Tajikistan, securing a 5-0 win. Like Deepak, Govind will face a stiff test next. He’ll face top-seeded Sakhil Alakhverdovi of Georgia in the next round.