Nishant Dev One win left to secure it 2024 Paris Olympics India earns first berth in men's 71kg category world boxing qualifying tournament in Busto Arsizio,Italy.
On Sunday, indian boxer Before the quarterfinals, he defeated Christos Karaitis (Greece) by unanimous decision, 5-0.
“I'm very happy,” Nishant told Olympic.com after the match. “I have prepared well for this fight. I hope I can participate in the Paris Olympics.
“My team and I have been preparing for this entire tournament,” he added. “We are one step away from qualifying for the Olympics. I hope we can do well in that battle.”
Nishant Dev, 23, will face World Championship silver medalist Omari Jones of the United States in the quarterfinals next Monday. If Nishant wins, India will secure a spot in the men's 71kg boxing Olympics.
Earlier, Nishant Dev defeated Tokyo Olympian Eskerkhan Madiyev (Georgia) by unanimous decision in the round of 32. In the round of 64, Dev defeated CWG bronze medalist Lewis Richardson of Great Britain by a 3-1 split decision.
Nishant Dev is the only Indian boxer left among the nine who participated in the tournament. The remaining eight, including six-time Asian Championships medalist Shiva Thapa and two-time Commonwealth Games medalist Mohammad Husamuddin, lost in their respective opening matches.
The first World Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament had nearly 600 boxers listed to participate. This event has a total of 49 spots available for the upcoming Summer Games, 28 spots for men and 21 spots for women.
Between 45 and 51 boxers will qualify for the 2nd World Qualification Tournament to be held in Bangkok from May 23 to June 3.
India has so far secured four boxing berths for the 2024 Paris Olympics, all for women. Nikat Zareen (50kg), Preity Pawar (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) earned spots in India's squad at last year's Asian Games.
Each country can earn up to one spot per weight class at the Paris Olympics.
