Boxing Update: Pawan Barthwal Triumphs over Paris Olympian in…

Pawan Barthwal, a 26-year-old army man from Syupuri village in Uttarakhand, has represented India in boxing at the international level after serving the country on the battlefield. In his debut at the World Championships in Liverpool, Barthwal gave India a winning start by defeating Brazil’s Michael Douglas Trindade in a closely contested men’s 55kg bout.

Unlike the traditional approach, Barthwal displayed tactical maturity under pressure and waited for the right moment to land punches. His strategy included dodging early swings and executing clean strikes when the opportunity arose. Despite losing the second round to Trindade, Barthwal managed to solidify his victory in the final round through a combination of tight defense and well-timed aggression.

His next challenge will come in the form of Asian Games bantamweight gold medalist Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov of Uzbekistan in the second round on Sunday. Speaking on Barthwal’s performance, Men’s head coach Dharmendra Yadav credited his victory to will power and determination stemming from his army background.

In addition to Barthwal, India also secured victories in other matches at the World Championship. Medal contender, Hitesh Gulia (men’s 70kg), Abhinash Jamwal (men’s 65kg), Nikhat Zareen (women’s 51kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (women’s 70kg) will face off against other contenders in the upcoming rounds. Nikhat has been matched up against Jennifer Lozana of the US in the first round.

World Boxing Cup gold medalist, Sakshi, also advanced to the pre-quarterfinals after the referee stopped her bout against Ukrainian Viktoriia Shkeul in the women’s 54kg. Sakshi demonstrated effective use of footwork to avoid punches and position herself for attacks.