Nishant Dev (71kg) beat Tokyo Olympic quarterfinalist Madiev Eskerkhan 5-0 in a round-of-32 bout in the first World Olympic boxing qualifier at the E-Work Arena in Busto Arsizio, Italy, on Thursday.
Nishant, a World championships bronze medallist, fought with confidence and claimed the first round 5-0. The Georgian tried to fight back, but could not stop Nishant from taking the second period 4-1 and the third 5-0. Nishant will face 20-year-old Greek boxer Christos Karaitis in the pre-quarterfinals on Sunday.
Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg), the Indian boxer remaining in the competition, will begin his campaign against Ireland’s Commonwealth Games champion Jude Gallagher late on Friday night.