Former Commonwealth Youth Games champion Sachin Siwach kicked off his Commonwealth Games campaign with a gritty victory in the men's 60kg round of 32 at the Scottish Event Campus. Facing Canada's Keoma Al-Ahmadieh—a bronze medalist in the 57kg category at Birmingham, the Indian boxer navigated a tense battle to earn a 4-1 split decision victory and advance to the next round.
Sachin Siwach secures hard-fought opening win at CWG
The bout pitted two left-handers against each other, leading to a closely contested opening round where both fighters traded solid blows. Siwach managed to gain a narrow advantage, convincing three of the five judges to score the first round 10-9 in his favor.
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In the second round, Al-Ahmadieh—whose sister Marie is also representing Canada in the women's 60kg division—pressed forward aggressively to regain momentum. However, Siwach expertly countered the Canadian's attacks with precise timing, effectively neutralizing the pressure to claim a clean 10-9 sweep across all five judges' scorecards and lock up the win.
Despite trailing, Keoma Al-Ahmadieh refused to back down, coming out aggressively in the third round to press for a comeback. However, the 26-year-old Indian pugilist, Sachin, made full use of his early advantage to tactically slow the pace of the contest. Even though three judges awarded the final frame 10-9 to Al-Ahmadieh, Sachin had already built a sufficient cushion to secure a split-decision victory.
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Siwach to face England's Will Hewitt in Rd 16
Up next for Sachin in Monday's round of 16 is England's Will Hewitt, a formidable opponent who notably upset Paris 2024 silver medalist Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu at last year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool. Sachin's win makes him the second Indian boxer to progress at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, following Jadumani Singh Mandengbam's comfortable round-of-32 victory in the men's 55kg category on Friday.
India's 14-member boxing squad in Glasgow—comprising seven men and seven women—is already off to a promising start. Medal hopes are especially high as Lovlina Borgohain has already guaranteed India a boxing podium finish, having received a bye straight into the semi-finals. Since both losing semi-finalists in Commonwealth Games boxing earn a bronze medal, reaching the top four automatically assures a spot on the podium.