LAHORE: Bouts in various weight categories were held at the Inter-division Punjab Open Boxing Championship that entered its final stage here on Monday.

Six boxers from Faisalabad Division won the semi-finals in their respective weight categories on the third day of the championship.

Two boxers from Dera Ghazi Khan and one each from Sargodha, Multan, Sahiwal and Gujranwala divisions also scripted victories in their respective last-four stage fights.

In the boys youth category, Lahore’s Hamza Shakir (32kg), Umair Khan (40kg), Zain Rafique (45kg), Ibarar Ahmed (52kg), Rana Wasif (56kg), Mudassir Khan (60kg), Yousuf Ali Butt (64kg) and Usman Tajwar (69kg) won their semi-final bouts against Ehtesham, Mohammad Haris, Hashim, Saud Shafat, Mubashir, Aniq-ur-Rehman, Sharjeel Shoukat and Abdur Rehman, respectively.

Faisalabad’s A. Rehman (36kg), Mohammad Talha (40kg), Sadat Hussain (45kg), Mohammad Arslan (52kg), Shahwaiz Aziz (56kg) and Faisal Shafiq (64kg) defeated Adeel, Ahmed Rizwan, Haman Haider, Jamshaid Ashraf, Raj Ali and Haider Sibghatullah in their respective semi-final clashes.

Shah Ahmed and Umer Farooq of D.G. Khan outplayed Mohammad Usama and Sulman in 49kg and 60kg, respectively. Ali Raza (32kg) of Multan, Adnan (36kg) of Gujranwala, Sohail Akhtar (49kg) of Sahiwal and Adam (69kg) of Sargodha trounced their respective opponents — Sibghatullah, Zain, Ameer Hamza and Shahmir Khan — in the semi-finals.

On the women’s side, nine semi-final bouts had been completed till the filing of this report.

Faisalabad’s Sameera Ali (45kg), Zumera Hussain (57kg) and Sana Bibi comfortably subdued their respective rivals.

Two female pugilists from Lahore — Rabia Basri (45kg) and Arzoo Ashraf (75kg) — outclassed their competitors while Roma Yousuf (45kg) and Isma Younis (57kg) of Rawalpindi also emerged winners in their semi-final fights.

Gujranwala’s Savera (48kg) and Areej Yousuf (51kg) from Sahiwal also stormed to the final after clinching the semi-finals in their respective weight categories.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2018