Date:29/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/29/stories/2006052907721700.htm

Sport - Boxing

Meher wins title

Principal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Meher Singh of Services Sports Control Board defeated Gurmail Singh of Haryana 40-21 in the final of the super heavyweight category in the Rajiv Gandhi memorial 10th Federation Cup boxing championship here on Sunday.

A good holiday crowd turned up braving a heavy shower late in the evening which delayed the start of the day's bouts by more than two hours.

Meher Singh gave the crowd something to cheer with a flurry of right and left hooks that repeatedly saw his rival caught on the wrong foot.

Disappointment

For the host, there was disappointment when D. Manikandan lost 24-12 to D. Bhagyarajan of SSCB. Though Andhra coach Emani Chiranjeevi had high expectations Manikandan, it was apparent that the local boxer has a long way to go against experienced opponents.

He had neither the reflexes nor the flair as Bhagyarajan proved too good for him.

Krishna Kumar of Haryana was the toast of the crowd with an impressive win against Harpal Singh of Goa in the heavyweight final with a 59-22 verdict.

Services won the overall championship with a tally of 38 points while Punjab (17 points) was second and Railways and Haryana finished joint-third with 16 points each.

The results (all finals, won on points): Super heavyweight: Meher Singh (RSCB) bt Gurmail Singh (Goa) 40-21.

Heavyweight: Krishna Kumar (Har) bt Harpal Singh (Goa) 59-22.

Lt. heavyweight: Virender Singh (RSPB) bt Ram Singh (Pun) 21-11.Middleweight: Harinder Singh (Pun) bt G. Madhu Kumar (SSCB) 24-17.

Welterweight: Sandeep Singh (Har) bt V. Lavi (SSCB) 29-28.

Lt.weight: D. Bhagyarajan (SSCB) bt D. Manikandan (AP) 24-12. Lt: K.T.T. Singh (SSCB) bt Lalit Mohan (RSCB) 23-11.

Flyweight: J. Sandeep Kumar (RSPB) bt H.K. Beliwal (SSCB) 56-53. Lt.fly: Sanjay Kolti (SSCB) bt Amandeep Singh (Pun) 37-17.

Featherweight: Amandeep Singh (Pun) bt B. Madan Mohan (AP) 38-19.

Bantamweight: B. Narjit Singh (SSCB) bt Lalit Chahal (Har) 19-17. Team championship: 1.Services (38 pts), 2. Punjab (17), 3. Railways & Haryana (16).

Best boxer: J. Sandeep Kumar (RSPB).

Best loser: B. Lavi (SSCB).