Mohammad Hussamuddin put in a superb display to kick off India's campaign at the IBA Men's World Boxing Championships 2023 in style by registering a stellar victory in the opening round in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Monday.
The two-time Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Hussamuddin made lightwork of his Macedonian opponent Alen Rustemovski in the opening round of the 57kg category with a dominant 5-0 win. The Telangana-born boxer made a cautious start to the bout but shifted gears superbly to assert his dominance over the Macedonian. Making use of his strength and technical ability, Hussamuddin was able to land punches accurately and secure the victory with a unanimous decision.
However, in the 60kg category, Varinder Singh went down against Mujibillo Tursunov of Uzbekistan and exited the competition after suffering a 0-5 defeat.
On Tuesday, Tokyo Olympian and 2019 Asian Championships Ashish Chaudhary and debutant Harsh Choudhary will take the ring for their respective tournament openers. Ashish (80kg) will square off against Meysam Gheshlaghi of Iran while Harsh (86kg) will face Billy McAllister of Australia.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has fielded a 13-man contingent to compete at the these world championships, that is witnessing the participation of 538 boxers, including several Olympic medallists, from 107 countries.
So far, a total of seven Indian male boxers have won medals at the World Boxing championships, with the current contingent now determined to increase that number in Tashkent over the next fortnight.