Slimline BC dominates Boxing Nationals

S.M. Jiffry Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent

Slimline Boxing Club a member of the cluster group of companies of MAS Holdings won the men and women’s championship at the National Boxing Championship organised by the Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka (ABASL) and sponsored by MAS Holdings and worked off at the Roof Top of Kandy City Centre on Tuesday night.

Champions of the Meet Slimline Boxing Club team. Pictures by Saman Sri Wedage

Most Outstanding Boxer of the year Anusha Kodituwakku (MAS Holdings)

The Chief Minister of the Central Province Sarath Ekanayake was the Chief Guest and he distributed the main awards with the Mayor of Kandy Mahendra Ratwatte, Central Province Minister of Sports MS Anusha Sivaraja and several other special guests.

The highlight of the meet was the Bantam Weight 56 kg fight between former Commonwealth and Asian Games boxer Manju Wanniarachchi of Slimline and the challenger for supremacy W.R.I. Weerakkodi of Sri Lanka Army which the former won on points 21/14.

Manju Wanniarachchi returning to the ring for the first time after his two year ban was slightly devastating in the first round leading 6-3 despite conceding in height and reach. He made full use of his experience to fluster his opponent.

The second round saw the best in Wanniarachchi as he even floored his opponent. Weerakkodi who was desperate and wanted to get back into the fight was cautioned a few times by the referee possibly for punching with the open fist. But Weerakkodi did not give in. By the end of the second round Manju Wanniarachchi had built up a good lead 15-6 and the fight appeared to be drawing away from Weerakkodi with a gap.

But the soldier put up a brave fight in the final and Manju Wanniarachchi appeared to be tired and a little slow on his feet and Weerakkodi took advantage of this to go for the kill which he nearly succeeded when the gong went and Wanniarachchi had won 21/14. This meant that the last round went to Weerakkodi 8-6.

There was a little pandemonium when the results was announced as a section of the crowd threw a chair at one of the judges and another was thrown at the Media table and the chair struck a senior sports journalist and a senior photographer from a print media from Colombo. But no one sustained injuries.

Police were called on to hunt down the miscreants and until such time the match was temporarily halted. Even an egg was thrown at the officials which was caught by one of them before it broke. The Police next cleared the section from which the chairs were thrown.

Manju Wanniarachchi lands a punch on Sri Lanka Army’s W.R.I. Weerakkodi’s face

This was the seventh time that Slimline had won this championship after Dian Gomes introduced the sport over 15 years ago with the ultimate objective of Sri Lanka winning an Olympic Medal at the Olympic Games.

Upset by Hansika

K A K Hansika of MAS Southern BC ‘B’ created a major upset in women’s Feather Weight under 57 kg by defeating the favourite Sithari Sandareka who won a bronze medal at the Tunisian International Women’s Boxing Championship last month by a fairly big margin of 28/19/

Twenty year old M Prabashwara, of Linea A who dethroned the defending national champion in the Men’s Fly W A C I Perera of Army in the semi finals went on to win the national title though he was given some anxious moments especially in the final rounds by M R Sandaruwan.

Prabashwara is a product of Peradeniya Central College.

M Y M Dilshan of Air Force who displayed excellent skills was adjudged Best Boxer (Men) while the same award for women went to Shashikala Chandrasiri of MAS Southern BC ‘A’.

Men Super Heavy Wt over 90 kg.- W L Sandun (Air Force A) beat M M Eranga (Army Red) on points 21/9.

Women Super Heavy wt over 81 kg - T M Weerasinghe (Army) beat T G O I Dharsha (MAS Southern BC A) on points 12/7.

Men Heavy Weight under 91 kg – B N S Sampath (Navy A) beat H M R C Herath (Army A) on points 11/5.

Women Heavy Weight under 81 kg – G G G Silva (Air Force) uncontested.

Men Light Heavy Weight under 81 kg – Suranga Muddanayake (Slimline A) beat J H T Nayanajith (Police) on points 16/7.

Women Middle Weight under 75 kg – W S S Shashikala (MAS Southern BC A) beat D D S Weeraratne (Police) on points 13/7.

Men Middle Weight under 75 kg – M A Divaratne (Army A) beat Senaka Nawaratne (Southern A) on points 14/8.

Women Light Welter Weight under 64 kg – Priyani Jayasekera (MAS Southern BC A) beat S E S Siriwardena (Navy) on points 27/9.

Men Welter Weight under 69 kg – P R I Rajapakse (Slimline A) beat A P G Chandrasekera (Army A) on points 15/10.

Women Light Weight under 60 kg – L Udayangani (MAS Southern BC B) beat Niranjala Senanayake (MAS Southern BC A) on points 26/17.

Men Light Welter Weight 64 kg – M Y M Dilshan (Air Force) beat R G S Kumarasiri (Navy A) on points 21/8.

Womens Feather Weight under 57 kg – K A C Hansika (MAS Southern B) beat B L S Sandareka (MAS Southern A).

Men Light Weight under 60 kg – R M A B Gunasekera (Slimline A) beat P A D D O Saparamadu (Slimline A) on points 19/5.

Women Bantam Weight under 54 kg – Vidushika Prabodhi (MAS Southern A) beat T L D M Dilhara Abeywardena (Thuruliya BC) on points 22/10.

Men Bantam Weight under 56 kg – Manju Wanniarachchi (Slimline A) beat W R I Weerakkodi (Army A) on points 21/14.

Womens Fly Weight under 51 kg – K H E Srimanthi Silva (MAS Southern BC A) beat S P Gunethi (Police) on points 11/6.

Men Fly Weight under 52 kg – P D Suresh (Slimline A) beat A V R S Bandara (Army Red BC) Referee stopped contest round 3.

Women Fly Weight 48 kg – Nilmini Kosala (MAS Southern BC A) beat J A D Jayasinghe (MAS Southern BC B) on points 16/12.

Men Light Fly Weight 48 kg – M Prabahwara (Linea BC) bet M R Sandaruwan (Slimline A) on points 16/12.

Best Boxer Women – W I S S Shashikala Chandrasiri (MAS Southern BC A)

Best Loser Women – D D S Weeraratne (Police)

Most Scientific Boxer Men – M Y M Dilshan (Air Force)

Best Loser Men – A P G Chandrakumar (Army A)

Most Outstanding Boxer of the year – Anusha Kodituwakku (MAS Holdings)

Most Successful Boxing team of the year – Slimline Boxing Club

Champions of the Meet Slimline Boxing Club 37 points.

Runners up - Army A 18 points

Second Runner up – Air Force 12 points