New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) Squaring off against a reigning world champion in career's maiden senior international boxing event can be unnerving but Indian teen sensation Shiva Thapa did not just beat the nerves, he outpunched his older and much-established rival as well.
The 17-year-old from Assam was the youngest in the bantam weight (56kg) draw of the Winners Invitational Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia where India had been invited for the very first time. The country's boxers did reasonably well signing off with a couple of gold and a bronze medal.
Commonwealth Games gold-medallist and Asian Games bronze-winner Paramjeet Samota (+91kg) expectedly got a gold, while Asian silver-medallist Manpreet Singh (91kg) settled for a bronze in the event.
Shiva beat Bulgaria's Detelin Dalakliev, the world champion from the 2009 Milan edition, despite trailing by a couple of points in the first two rounds.