Akash Kumar Clinches Bronze At World Boxing Championships, Joins Elite List Of Indian Boxers

Indian boxer Akash Kumar's dream run at the 2021 AIBA men's World Boxing Championships came to an end as he bagged a bronze medal after he suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the semi-final in Belgrade on November 5.

The 20-year-old endured a 5-0 defeat against Makhmud Sabyrkhan from Kazakhstan in the 54kg category.

𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃 📖✍️

🇮🇳's #AkashKumar 5️⃣4️⃣kg scripts his name in the history books of Indian Boxing as he finished his @AIBA_Boxing Men's World Boxing Championship 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ campaign with the BRONZE MEDAL 🥉.

Way to go, champ!🔝🔥#aibawchs2021#PunchMeinHaiDum pic.twitter.com/wbRFShDyJk

— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) November 4, 2021

Akash Joins Elite List of Boxers

However, he secured India's seventh medal at one of the biggest boxing events in the world and joined the elite list of boxers that includes Vijender Singh (bronze in 2009), Vikas Krishan (bronze in 2011), Shiva Thapa (bronze in 2015), Gaurav Bidhuri (bronze in 2017), Manish Kaushik (bronze in 2019) and Amit Panghal (silver in 2019) who have all won medals for India at the Men's World Championships in the past.

A Dream Debut For Akash

In his World Championships debut, Akash kicked off the semi-final bout aggressively as the first round saw both boxers exchange heavy blows. However, Sabyrkhan looked to have the upper hand with his relentless jabbing which put the Indian boxer on the backfoot.

Akash, who was boxing at his maiden international tournament at the top level, tried his best to make a comeback in the second round and displayed glimpses of his untapped potential.

With this defeat, India's challenge at the 21st edition of the tournament came to an end that recorded the participation of 650 top-level boxers from more than 100 different nations from across the globe.

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