Former world champion Nitu Ghanghas, Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti Pawar and Jadumani Singh progressed to the semifinals as Indian boxers assured themselves of at least 19 medals at the Boxam Elite International on Friday.

The Indian women’s contingent, guided by new head coach Santiago Nieva, confirmed 12 medals, while seven male boxers also advanced to the last four,
underlining a strong all-round performance by the squad.

Competing in the 51kg category, Nitu produced a dominant display to defeat Canada’s McKenzie Wright by unanimous decision. Preeti (54kg) followed with an equally commanding performance against Spain’s Maria Gonzalez, forcing the contest to be abandoned in the third round after maintaining sustained pressure.

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Poonam (54kg) registered an emphatic 5-0 win over Thailand’s Natnicha Chongprongklang, while Priya (60kg) and Pranjal (65kg) secured unanimous decisions against Spain’s Laura Galano and Czech boxer Viktorie Jilkova, respectively. Kajal (65kg) edged past Kazakhstan’s Akbar Ichshanova 4-1 in a closely fought bout.

In the men’s competition, Jadumani Singh (55kg) continued his impressive run, outclassing Peng Chia-Feng of Chinese Taipei by a 5-0 margin. World Championships bronze medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin (60kg) cruised past Ukraine’s Ali Dahly with a unanimous verdict, while Sachin (60kg) edged Ukraine’s Aider Abduraimov 3-2.

Akash (75kg) also booked his semifinal spot with a 4-1 win over Spain’s Jose Luis Canero.

Some Indian boxers bowed out despite spirited performances, including Pawan Bartwal, who narrowly lost 2-3 to England’s Ellis Trowbridge, and Abhinash Jamwal, who went down to Ukraine’s Elvin Aliiev.