New Delhi, May 24 (IANS): A formidable punch by National Champion Sachin Siwach on the opening day of the 2nd Boxing World Qualifiers for the Paris Olympics in Bangkok on Friday ensured a decisive victory against New Zealand’s Alex Mukuka in the Round of 64 bout in the 57kg category.

The 2024 Strandja Memorial gold medallist dominated his opponent, Mukuka, from the start and kept up the pressure throughout the bout to ensure he received a unanimous 5-0 verdict from the judges and gave the 10-member Indian contingent a winning start.

Siwach made his intentions clear in the very first round as he went on the offensive early and took control of the bout with a couple of left-right combinations. If Mukuka was hoping for a breakthrough in the second round, his hopes were quickly dashed as the Indian was relentless in his attacks.

With the first two rounds comfortably in his pocket, Siwach ensured that there was no chance of a fightback from his opponent and wrapped up the proceedings.

India has fielded seven men and three women in the second world qualifiers and all boxers will have to at least make it to the semifinals to stand a chance to book their berths for Paris Olympics.

On Saturday, Abhimanyu Loura, a bronze medallist in senior nationals, will take on Bulgaria’s Kristiyan Nikolov in the opening round of the 80kg weight category.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (51kg) and 2022 Asian Games bronze medallist Narendra Berwal (+92kg) have already got a bye in the opening round of their respective weight categories.