JOIN USJai was declared medically unfit due to an upset stomach and dehydration, clearing the way for Himachal Pradesh’s Ankit Tokas to enter the second round.
On the other hand, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar, fighting in the lightweight (60kg) category, entered the second round without even stepping into the ring after his Tripura opponent Shyam Singh was found overweight in the medical tests in the morning.
Akhil, employed with All India Police, is competing here as an IBF entry as he had to skip the inter-departmental tournament due to a knee injury.
Suranjoy was the top star in action and he showed the form that has fetched him six international gold medals in the past one year. The Manipuri blanked Karnataka’s N Shaikinnaoya 7-0.
The diminutive boxer, representing Services Sports Control Board, spent the first round getting his rival’s measure before breaking free in the next two rounds.
A series of right straights and hooks had Shaikinnaoya literally on the ropes as Suranjoy stamped his authority.
South Asian Games gold medallist Chhote Lal Yadav (SSCB) out-punched Uttar Pradesh’s Kishan 12-0 in the bantamweight (56kg) category.
In the welterweight (69kg) category, Railways Sports Promotion Board’s eight-time national champion Dilbag Singh took his first step towards a record ninth gold by beating Madhya Pradesh’s Pradeep 13-3. Another Railway boxer, Sanjay Singh, pulled off the swiftest win of the day when he outclassed Orissa’s Bulu Nayak within a minute of entering the ring.
Former Commonwealth bronze medallist Dilbagh Singh (69kg), competing for Delhi, defeated Manipur’s Inaosana 7-0. Former World cadet champion Balbir Singh, an IBF individual entry, pulled off a comprehensive 16-0 triumph over E Peris of All India Police.