Pangrope takes bantam title

By Nandakumar Marar

PIMPRI, JAN. 12. Bipin Pangrope (Services Sports Control Board) and Mangesh Kamble (Central Industrial Security Force) slugged it out in the bantamweight final of the 47th Senior National Boxing Championships for the slot vacated temporarily by Olympian Dingko Singh due to a wrist injury.

With the Indian bantamweight star shouting himself hoarse and gesticulating in an animated frenzy from his vantage point behind the blue corner, the Services boxer's rapid-fire punching enabled him hammer out a 23-14 points victory.

The first final of the day, in front of a boisterous crowd occupying every inch of space at the Yeshwantrao Chavan Stadium, saw the Railways versus Services rivalry for the team championship commencing with the light flyweight title fight between Mohd Ali Qamar and Rosema Colney respectively.

The compact Railways pugilist demonstrated his emergence on the National scene by winning inside four rounds, the referee stopping the contest in the third.

Qamar's astonshing victory in the first round provided a timely impetus for teammate H. Srinivasa Rao in his flyweight final against Tamil Nadu's upset artist W. Karl Marx. The Railways fighter, having an impressive run-up to the title clash, came on like a battering ram against his comparatively inexperienced opponent, the bout ending when the referee stopped the contest in the fourth round.

Pangrope won against the Pune-based Kamble due to superior technique, being fast in the ring and by landing devastating right hooks to his rival's face and body. He also took care to weave out of range of the CISF boxer's devastating left for a major part of the fight.

With Dingko shouting precise technical instructions, demonstrating most of them and coach Mukund Killekar urging him on during the breaks, there was little doubt the Indian sailor's victory, though Kamble deserves credit for the way he staged a rousing fightback for a brief time in the third round.

Services, fielding 10 boxers in the final, as against six for Railways, got a boost when the fourth bout saw international featherweight S. Ramanand's longer reach and aggression clinching him a points verdict against Zoltan Maiwa of the CISF.

Both Services and Raiways were level after four bouts.

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