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Pawan Bartwal (55kg) delivered the most significant upset of the tournament so far, securing his first international medal with a commanding 5:0 victory against Kazakhstan’s Altynbek Nursultan. Nursultan was the second seed in the weight category and a World Cup Brazil gold medalist, making Bartwal’s win at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik sports complex on Monday a major breakthrough. This stellar performance set the tone for another flawless day for India, as Sumit (75kg) and Naveen (90kg) also secured dominant wins, collectively swelling the host nation’s guaranteed medal tally to seven. According to a release from the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), this moment was 15 years in the making for Pawan.
Having started boxing around 2010, the Services boxer has quietly risen through the ranks before erupting onto the world stage with this spectacular showing. Cheered on by an energetic home crowd, Bartwal demonstrated exceptional defensive discipline, clever control over the fight's tempo, and superb endurance. He consistently pushed the second-seeded Nursultan onto the ropes while skillfully picking clean openings to land his shots. This poised and calculated performance by Pawan marked one of India’s finest victories in the opening rounds of this elite, eight-only global event.
Following Pawan Bartwal's upset, Sumit maintained India's momentum with an equally assured 5:0 victory over Korea's Kim Hyeon-tae in the 75kg quarterfinals. Sumit established his dominance early, with a sharp punch to the face setting the tone for a relentless display that seamlessly merged aggression with tactical control. He continuously pressed forward, dictating the exchanges throughout the bout and forcing Kim into a defensive survival mode, making the final unanimous verdict a formality. Completing the trio of Indian wins, Strandja 2024 medalist Naveen delivered a composed and intelligent performance against Kazakhstan's Bekzat Tangatar in the 90kg category. Naveen expertly leveraged his height and reach advantage, keeping Tangatar at bay while landing crisp, scoring blows from a distance. After an evenly contested opening round, Naveen grew stronger, using swift movement and disciplined footwork to decisively pull away, securing yet another unanimous victory for the home side.
In the session's other results, Taiwan’s Olympic medalist Wu Shih-Yi delivered one of the standout performances, completely dominating Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova with a 5:0 victory in the women’s 57kg division. In the men's 55kg and 75kg brackets, several international boxers advanced: Uzbekistan’s Samandar Olimov, England’s Ellis Trowbridge, and Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Abdurakhimov all secured their spots, while Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Poland also registered key victories across the afternoon session.
The day's excitement is set to continue with Session 3 later this evening, which features two of India's most highly anticipated bouts. World Boxing Cup Brazil 2025 medalist Jadumani Singh (50kg) will step into the ring against Kazakhstan’s Ongarov Nurzat, a rapidly rising talent on the international circuit. The marquee showdown of the day will see Hitesh (70kg) face the top seed, Sewon Okazawa, the 2022 Asian Games medalist whose technical precision makes this contest one of the standout clashes of the opening rounds.
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