Sri Lanka’s Olympic hope Godakandalage Pasindu Umayanga Mihiran kept alive his pledge of winning the gold medal at ASBC Asian Under-22 and Youth Boxing Championships when he overcame his first hurdle with consummate ease at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday. 

The 22-year-old Sri Jayawardenapura University undergrad who walks the talk with a swagger almost akin to boxing great Muhammad Ali, led Sri Lanka’s victorious charge on day five of the competition displaying sound ringcraft and ring generalising against a crafty fighter from Kyrgyzstan Bekzat Ergeshov in the Under-22 Youth Men Fly (51kg) weight quarter-finals. 

Mihiran, Herath Mudiyanselage Ashen Shehara Karunanayaka (54kg) and Thilakshana Deshan Jayasundara (60kg) battled their way into the semi-finals with contrasting styles to raise Sri Lanka’s medal tally to 22. Two more Sri Lankan medal contenders Thenuwan Bandara Meegalla (57kg) and Mahipala Mudalige Muditha Methsara Paris (63.5kg) failed to go the distance. 

The much looked forward to bout between Mihiran and Bekzat lived up to all the ingredients of a classic. The pace was fast and furious with both boxers displaying good technique, ringcraft and tactical awareness in a bid to dominate. Added to the mix were fouls galore due to the intensity of the battle which occasionally got rough and scrappy causing many stoppages as the fighters indulged in a grappling contest.

The 2024 Asian Championships bronze medallist Mihiran oozed confidence getting into a good rhythm from the opening bell and being on target with three-punch combinations before slipping out of range. Sri Lanka’s reigning national fly weight champion scored heavily with left crosses to frustrate his rival who like most Kyrgyzstan boxers kept his hands low but could only land left jabs for Mihiran to win the first round clearly.

Bekzat changed his game plan in the second round attempting to unsettle his opponent with rough house tactics and stepping up the tempo. Mihiran was surprisingly deducted a point for clinching and holding which was induced by the dubious tactics of Bekzat who nevertheless took the round to make it even.

Unfazed by this setback, Mihiran bounced back displaying better ringcraft to dance circles around last year’s Asian Under-22 bronze medallist and landing solid rights to win the third round and bout by a split decision. 

Karunanayaka came out firing all cylinders, attacking Malaysian Rizal Wahidi with solid combinations to win the first two rounds comfortably. The stylish Malaysian, who was forced on the back foot during most of the exchanges, had a good left counter but little else to make an impact.

However, in a dramatic final round the Sri Lankan initially slipped to the canvas without receiving a blow. But he went down on his knees twice in quick succession after two right crosses grazed his chin which set alarm bells ringing in the Sri Lankan corner because one more knockdown would have ended the contest for Karunanayaka when he had the fight in the bag. Fortunately he managed to clear steer of trouble, dropping the Malaysian to finish with a flourish and gain a split points decision much to the disappointment of Rizal.

Royalist Meegalla was outgunned by a technically superior Kazakhstan boxer Anorbayev Zhasurbek, who hardly gave the 19-year-old Sri Lankan any breathing space. Anorbayev stalked Meegalla and pounded him with solid combinations to the head and body. A counter puncher by nature, Meegalla moved laterally and attempted to land hooks while back peddling. 

However, the Kazak boxer kept coming forward like a juggernaut and forced two standing ‘eight’ counts towards the end of round one. After Meegalla was at the receiving end of another barrage of blows, the referee stopped the contest midway in round two.

Sylvestrian Deshan Jayasundara displayed superb technique and power to outpoint an equally game opponent from French Polynesia (Tahiti) Mateo Poullet-Osier. The lanky 19-year-old Sri Lankan southpaw outscored his rival with a flurry of speedy combinations. He came close to scoring a technical knockout, stunning his rival with hooks twice in quick succession early in round two. 

However, Mateo survived the onslaught giving the Sri Lankan a taste of own medicine before Jayasundara prevailed by outboxing his rival in the final round to earn a unanimous points decision. 

Another Sylvestrian Muditha Paris, 20, suffered a technical knockout after being outclassed by a gangly Mousa Al Hawsaw from Saudi Arabia. The 22-year-old southpaw towered over Paris in a David vs Goliath contest hardly being able to land a punch in the opening round. 

Mousa not only kept him at bay but stunned him with powerful blows dropping him early in round two before another standing ‘eight’ count saw the referee intervening to stop the lop-sided contest.

Four Sri Lankans are billed to fight in the medal round today. Sabrina Rahim and Yapa Mudiyanselage Pavani Muthugala will be featuring first time. Rahim is up against Rakhmina Abdumezhitova in the Youth Women’s 52kg semi-finals while Muthugala, who drew a bye, faces Indian Kumari Chanchal in the Youth Women’s 48kg semi-finals. Chanchal beat Saudi Arabia’s Alanood in the quarter-finals.

The other two are Youth Men quarter-final winners Weliketiye Gedara Warnakulasooriya (48kg) and Hansitha Jayathissa (57kg). Warnakulasooriya will be up against Kazakhstan’s Nurkhan Kumarbekov while Jayathissa faces Kazakhstan’s Nygman Nygmet.

Results (Under-22): Men: Quarter-finals: 48kg – Lal Prasad Upreti (Nepal) beat Muinkhodza Muminov (Tajikistan) WP 4:3, 51kg – Umayanga Mihiran (Sri Lanka) beat Bekzat Ergeshov (Kyrgyzstan) WP 4:0, Dias Berikbay (Kazakhstan) beat Novell Long (Cambodia) RSC R1, 54kg – Umar Raza Khan (IBA-Pakistan) beat Mohammed Al Muwallad (Saudi Arabia) WP 5:0, Ashen Shehara Karunanayaka Sri Lanka) beat Mohamad Rizal Wahidi (Malaysia) WP 3:1, Anushervon Fazylov (Tajikistan) beat Md Utsob Ahmmed (Bangladesh) WP 5:0, Quang Loc Tran (Vietnam) beat Zafarbek Kamilov (Kyrgyzstan) WP 4:3, 57kg – Anorbayev Zhasurbek (Kazakhstan) beat Thenuwan Bandara Meegalla (Sri Lanka) RSC R2, 60kg – Nurislam Kaldybayev (Kazakhstan) beat Muhammad Ahmad (IBA-Pakistan) RSC R2, Thilakshana Deshan Jayasundara (Sri Lanka) beat Mateo Poullet-Osier (French Polynesia Tahiti) WP 5:0, Damir Muibalikhonov (Tajikistan) beat Vireak Ron (Cambodia) RSC R2, Abdumalikov (Uzbekistan) beat Tan Vu Huynh (Vietnam) WP 4:1, 63.5kg – Mousa Al Hawsaw (Saudi Arabia) beat Muditha Methsara Paris (Sri Lanka) RSC R2, Omar Livaza (Kyrgyzstan) beat Shubnam Shubnam (IBA-India) RSC R3.