Pawan stuns Brazil WC medallist for first international medal
For Pawan, the moment was a significant milestone in a career that began in the early 2010s.
Pawan Bartwal lands a hook on Altynbek Nursultan during his match
GREATER NOIDA: India’s Pawan Bartwal (55kg) produced the biggest upset of the tournament so far, defeating second seed and World Cup Brazil gold medallist Altynbek Nursultan of Kazakhstan 5–0 to secure his first international medal at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex on Monday. His result capped another strong day for India, with Sumit (75kg) and Naveen (90kg) also registering unanimous wins, taking the host nation’s tally to seven assured medals.
For Pawan, the moment was a significant milestone in a career that began in the early 2010s. The Services boxer, backed by home support, demonstrated disciplined defence, measured tempo, and sustained pressure, frequently pushing Nursultan onto the ropes while capitalising on openings. His composed, controlled performance marked one of India’s most noteworthy results in the early rounds of this eight-boxer global finals event.
“Nursultan is a good boxer; he won the World Boxing Cup in Brazil this year. I was nervous at the beginning, but competing in front of a home crowd gave me confidence. This is an important tournament in my career. It is my first international medal, and I am very proud,” Pawan said after the bout.
Sumit followed with a 5–0 win over Korea’s Kim Hyeon-tae in the 75kg quarter-finals. An early clean punch set the tone for a bout in which he maintained control, pressed forward consistently, and dictated most of the exchanges.
Naveen, a Strandja 2024 medallist, completed India’s set of victories with a composed performance against Kazakhstan’s Bekzat Tangatar. Using his height and reach effectively, he scored from distance and grew stronger after a balanced opening round, securing another unanimous decision.
In other results, Taiwan’s Olympic medallist Wu Shih-Yi defeated Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova 5–0 in the women’s 57kg category. Uzbekistan’s Samandar Olimov and Javokhir Abdurakhimov, along with England’s Ellis Trowbridge, advanced in the men’s 55kg and 75kg brackets, while Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Poland also recorded wins in the afternoon session.
Session Three, scheduled later in the evening, features two key Indian bouts: Jadumani Singh (50kg) against Kazakhstan’s Ongarov Nurzat, and Hitesh (70kg) versus top seed Sewon Okazawa, the 2022 Asian Games medallist.
