Tag: Pralhad Panda

Sports

Susegado Strike Fight Night 3 Returns to Goa with Pralhad Panda’s Title Defense and Power-Packed Card

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Miramar, Goa | June 27, 2025 — The excitement is palpable as Susegado Strike Fight Night 3, Goa’s premier professional boxing showcase, returns on June 28 at Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias, promising an electric evening of elite matchups, local pride, and rising stars in Indian boxing. The event, supported by Goa Tourism and sanctioned by the Indian Boxing Council (IBC), marks another major milestone in the state’s push toward building a serious combat sports culture.

Main Event: A Homegrown Hero Defends His Crown

All eyes will be on Goa’s own featherweight champion, Pralhad Panda, as he puts his IBC West Zone Featherweight Title on the line against Amit Kumar of Pune. The 29-year-old Panda, hailing from Bastora, captured the title at the previous edition of Fight Night and is now set to defend it on his home turf in front of an energized local crowd.

“Defending my belt in Goa means a lot to me. This is where I’ve trained all my life. I intend to make this opportunity count,” said Panda, signaling his readiness for an intense showdown.

The title fight is scheduled for eight rounds and serves as the headline bout of the night.

A Diverse and Dynamic Fight Card

The event boasts a six-bout lineup featuring 12 fighters from across India, including two women’s fights, making this edition the most inclusive and competitive to date.

Full Fight Card Includes:

  • 🥊 Main Event – Featherweight Title Fight
    Pralhad Panda (29, Goa) vs Amit Kumar (27, Pune)
  • 🥊 Men’s Super Flyweight
    Kailas Gauns (30, Chimbel, Goa) vs Prasad Katnoor (22, Virar)
  • 🥊 Women’s Super Flyweight
    Ramandeep Kaur (28, Bangalore) vs Rupika Rani (19, Abohar, Punjab)
  • 🥊 Women’s Light Flyweight
    Amruta Kale (25, Pune) vs Saanvi Gandhi (19, Chennai)
  • 🥊 Men’s Cruiserweight
    Ashish Ahlawat vs Taher Khuram (26, Mumbai; Afghan origin)
  • 🥊 Men’s Super Lightweight
    Maninder Singh (22, Barnala, Punjab) vs Bharany Velmurugan (30, Pondicherry)

All non-title bouts are scheduled for six rounds each. The official weigh-in ceremony will be held on June 27 at Fitness Bar, Panaji.

Growing Goa’s Pro Boxing Landscape

Susegado Strike’s founders — Luigson Fernandes, Clyde Lobo, and Prathamesh Naik — emphasized that this is not just a fight night, but a sustained effort to put Goa on India’s professional boxing map.

“Susegado Strike isn’t just about throwing punches—it’s about giving Indian boxers a stage they deserve and building a culture of professional boxing in Goa,” said Luigson Fernandes.

“We’ve curated this fight card based on merit, form, and readiness. Each matchup is designed to challenge and showcase talent,” added Clyde Lobo.

This edition also highlights gender inclusion in combat sports with two women’s bouts — a move the organizers call a step toward greater equity and representation.

“Our long-term goal is to make Goa a recurring stop on the national pro boxing circuit,” said Prathamesh Naik. “Fight Night 3 is not just a sporting event — it’s a blueprint for sports tourism, youth engagement, and athletic opportunity.”

Boxing with Purpose

Susegado Strike Fight Night 3 is more than a thrilling night of action — it’s a celebration of Goa’s emerging sporting identity. From nurturing homegrown heroes like Panda and Gauns to elevating the profile of Indian boxing, the event signals a future where Goan athletes punch above their weight on the national stage.

Sports

Goan Boxers Win Big at Susegado Strike Fight Night 2.0; Mapusa’s Pralhad Panda Wins Title Bout

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~ Winning the Indian Boxing Council’s (IBC) West Zone championship was a dream-come-true, says Panda.
~ Senior IBC official lauds growing interest and appreciation of professional boxing in Goa.

Panaji, March 2025 – Twenty-nine-year-old Goan boxer Pralhad Panda made history by winning the Indian Boxing Council’s (IBC) West Zone championship title, knocking out his Hyderabad-based opponent DN Sai Havish in the first round of the title bout in the featherweight category. Two other Goan boxers, Kailas Gauns and Umesh Chavan, also registered victories during Goa’s biggest ever boxing showdown, Susegado Strike Fight Night 2.0, that featured 16 boxers across India and Afghanistan, including four Indian women boxers fighting for honours in the boxing ring.

Panda went on the offensive and wasted no time in going for the win, managing to secure a comprehensive knockout, in the face of an opponent with better reach and height advantage. It took one minute and six seconds to knock out teenager Havish, winning the prestigious Indian Boxing Council’s (IBC) West Zone championship title, becoming the first professional Goan boxer to win the accolade.

“This was my very first title fight. I used to dream about winning titles since I was a kid. This is a dream-come-true scenario for me. I have got the best coach in Goa, Pravin Shirodkar, who has been a main pillar for me,” Panda said after winning the title.

Incidentally, promoters, Susegado Strike Fight Night 2.0 hosted Goa’s first-ever IBC title bout during the major boxing event, which was held at the International Centre, Goa, at Dona Paula on Friday, attended by IBC Chief Operations Officer Vivek Raja, among other dignitaries.

In the two other fights featuring victorious Goan boxers, Chimbel’s Kailas Gauns (30), who professionally debuted in the maiden edition of Susegado Strike Fight Night last year, won unanimously after six rounds of intense action against 18-year-old Nishang Rimo from Arunachal Pradesh in the super flyweight category. Mapusa’s Umesh Chavan (28) was declared a unanimous winner in the super featherweight category, despite being stretched by his opponent Yumnam Santosh (29) from Manipur over six rounds.

The international fighter participating in the event, 26-year-old Taher Khuram, knocked out his opponent, Manikandan R. (24) from Tamil Nadu, in the first round itself. Khuram, who has two career knockouts in three previous professional fights, took just two minutes and forty-nine seconds in the first round to down his opponent with a powerful punching blitz.

Haryana’s Raj Sahiba (22), winner of last year’s edition, defeated Lovely Kumari (22) from Punjab by unanimous decision in the super lightweight category. In the featherweight division, Madhya Pradesh’s Kamla Roka (29) secured a technical knockout (TKO) against Kerala’s Arundhati Nair (20) in just over a minute of the penultimate round. In the featherweight category, Mizoram’s F. Zoramchhana (25) dominated Ayush Singh (20) from Chhattisgarh, winning by third-round TKO. Haryana’s Sharwan Ranjeet Das (22) delivered a fifth-round knockout against Hyderabad’s Mohammad Junaid (19) in the super flyweight category, sealing a decisive win.

“Susegado Strike Fight Night 2.0 was bigger in scale compared to its first edition. We are proud that Goa hosted its first IBC championship bout in the state, a fact that will help put Goa on the Indian boxing map,” says Luigson Fernandes, founder of Susegado Strike.

“Apart from hosting boxers from across the country, we will continue with our mission to provide Goan boxers with a platform to engage with the best professional fighters in the country,” founder, Clyde Lobo, said after the event.

“The success of Susegado Strike Fight Night 2.0 only fuels our drive to continue breaking new ground and creating more opportunities for fighters to advance in the sport,” says Prathamesh Naik ,”another founder of Susegado Strike.

“Pralhad has been in the circuit for the last eight years. This is a beginning for him to aim for the India title,” Vivek Raja said. Speaking about the culture and appreciation of the sport of boxing taking root in Goa, Raja said, “We are hoping that the love for boxing will develop further in Goa. Susegado Strike has done a fantastic job with Fight Night. They’ve also set up a sense of expectation among boxing fans in Goa who are now waiting for the state to host the next title bout.”