World boxing: Hussamuddin wins first round, Varinder loses

The 57kg boxer received a unanimous 5-0 verdict while Varinder Singh struggled and lost in the first round of the championships that began in Tashkent on Monday

Commonwealth Games medallist Mohammed Hussamuddin began his campaign at the boxing world championships in Tashkent on Monday with a comfortable victory against Alen Rustemovski of Macedonia.

Indian boxer Mohd Hussamuddin (Red) in action.

Hussamuddin won the round of 64 bout in 57kg with a unanimous 5-0 verdict. The southpaw dominated from the start by throwing some powerful punches. Rustemovski tried to keep himself busy in the second round, but Hussamuddin was getting better in the exchanges, landing his punches accurately. The Indian kept up the attacking tempo and ended with a flurry of punches in the third round.

It was, however, the end of the road for Varinder Singh in 60kg. He lost to Uzbekistan's Tursunov Mujibillo, who was aggressive and defended well with an effective closed guard. Varinder just could not find the opening to attack while Tursunov was quick to score through his combination punches, winning the bout 5-0.