Krishna Thapa of Madhya Pradesh, who bagged a silver medal at the 12th Senior National earlier this year, pulverized Anita Kahar of Assam to advance to the semifinal stage of the championship. Playing in the light fly weight category, both boxers started strongly matching each other punch for punch in the first two rounds. Beginning of the third though, Thapa took control of the game amassing seven points as opposed to Anita's two.
The National Games silver medallist held on to the advantage and went on to secure a 22:15 win, in her opening bout of the tournament. The 20 year old who missed out on a gold at the recently concluded Senior Nationals, looks in prime touch and is hoping to go all the way this time around.
"It was a good victory for me and I am happy with my performance. I have a good rhythm going on and hope to carry on the confidence and the form till the end of the tournament," expressed an elated Thapa after her bout.
The fly weight class witnessed some exceptional performance, Vanlal Duati of Mizoram put up quite a show against Shabana from Delhi. A gold medallist at the 34th National Games, Duati opened cautiously measuring her opponent in the first round. In the second the former national champions launched an offensive onslaught to which the Delhi boxer had no reply.
The 22 year old secured her semifinal spot with a comprehensive 7:2 win. Sonia Lather Singh of Andhra Pradesh also cruised to next round with an impressive victory. A silver medallist at the senior nationals, Singh had little trouble drubbing Sudesh of All India Police, she moved to the semis with a 19:3 win on points.
Local girl Vinita Mahar ousted Neetu Goyat of Manipur in what was a scintillating performance. The teenage boxer, who also bagged a silver medal in the competition last year and a bronze medal at the National Games earlier this year, was at her destructive best as she pulled the rug from under Goyat's feet, knocking her out in the third round.
In the feather weight division, also from Uttarakhand, Priyanka Chaudhary had an easy passage into the round of last four. A bronze medallist at the 34th National Games, Chaudhary beat K Manasa of Andhra Pradesh on points (18:4).
The Championship which has transformed into a ritual over the years is a contest which brings out the best state and board teams from the domestic arena. The top eight teams from the National Championships are invited to partake in the tournament along with the host team.
This edition of the Monnet Federation Cup witnessed a participation of 67 boxers representing All India Police, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Uttarakhand.