Priya silences home crowd as Preeti, Jadumani enter CWG boxing semifinals
Reigning Asian champion Priya Ghanghas silenced a partisan Scottish crowd with a stirring comeback victory over home favourite Niamh Mitchell, while Preeti Pawar and Jadumani Singh delivered clinical performances as all three Indians assured themselves of at least bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games here on Tuesday.
Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti (54kg) outclassed Northern Ireland’s Nicole Clyde 5-0, while Priya (60kg) fought back from a first-round setback to edge Mitchell 4-1 in a gripping quarterfinal. Jadumani notched a unanimous decision win over Mwengo Mwale of Zambia in the men’s 55kg quarterfinal.
However, Parveen Hooda (65kg) and Kapil Pokhariya’s (90kg) campaign ended after contrasting defeats. While Parveen went down 2-3 to England’s Sacha Hickey, Kapil lost to local favorite Robert McNulty of Scotland.
If Preeti’s win was one of calculated dominance, Priya’s was built on grit. The 20-year-old from Haryana walked into a cauldron of noise, facing not just Mitchell but an overwhelmingly home crowd that roared every Scottish punch. “Yehi toh feeling hai, Scotland mein Scotland ko haraana,” Priya said with a smile after the bout. Despite matching Mitchell punch for punch, Priya found herself trailing after the opening round as four of the five judges favoured the Scot.
Unfazed, the Indian came out with renewed aggression in the second round, marching forward relentlessly and forcing Mitchell onto the back foot with a barrage of clean combinations. Both boxers had a point deducted in the round. Priya for repeatedly lowering her head and Mitchell for excessive clinching, a tactic she resorted to frequently under pressure. But the deduction did little to halt Priya’s momentum as she claimed the round by the identical 4-1 margin.
With the contest hanging in the balance, Priya kept her composure in the decisive third round, landing the cleaner, more effective punches to seal a memorable split-decision win.
The judges scored the bout 28-27, 28-27, 27-28, 28-27 and 29-26 in the Indian’s favour.
Preeti, meanwhile, looked in complete control from the opening bell against Clyde, an opponent she had trained with during India’s preparatory camp in Belfast before the Games.
Giving away height but not authority, the 22-year-old Indian dictated the contest with her superior speed, movement and punch selection. She repeatedly split Clyde’s guard with crisp combinations to dominate the opening round, which was reflected in the judges’ scorecards — four scored it 10-9 and one 10-8 in her favour.
The second round followed a similar script as Preeti’s sharp footwork and accurate punching left Clyde struggling to make an impression. She again swept all five judges’ scorecards, taking complete control of the contest. With victory all but secured, Preeti boxed with maturity in the final round, maintaining her discipline to complete a comprehensive unanimous-decision win.
