LALITPUR: Suresh Budha Magar of Boshigaun saw off Prakash Bhattarai of Nawalparasi to reach the men’s 48kg second round of the second Nationwide Open Boxing Tournament here today.

In the 51kg bout, Raj Kumar Maharjan of Boshigaun defeated Min Tamang of Meghdut, Laxman Tamang of Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) edged past Shankar Khadka of Kanchanpur, Babulal Hemran of Jhapa beat Raj Kumar Gupta of Parsa in other first round bouts. Rajan Balami of Young Star, Sanjaya Karki of Tikathali and Top Bahadur Bohora of Dang also advanced in the same weight category.

Suman Lama of Makwanpur advanced to the second round of men’s 54kg bout after Tika Ram Kamal of Tikathali retired from the bout. Krishna Rai of Jhapa, Puran Rai and Yukesh Nagarkoti of APF and Dhirendra Chand of Kanchanpur also confirmed their second round berths winning their respective matches today.

The women’s event saw Nisha Gauri of Meghdut edging past Sharmila Khadka of Rupandehi to reach 46kg second round. Ramba BK of Dang and Parvati Giri of Makwanpur also advanced in same category. Likewise, Maya Chaudhary of APF, Sapana Thapa of Kaski and Rupa Lama of Nepal Youth won their 51kg bouts to enter the second rounds.

In all, 200 boxers from 29 districts and various clubs are participating in the tournament which also serves as the strong basis for the players’ selection in the 11th South Asian Games (SAG) slated January 29 to February 9 in Dhaka next year. The tournament is organised by the Lalitpur Boxing Association.