Midway through the second round, it appeared that India’s Sachin Siwach was beginning to tire against Canada’s Keoma Al-Ahmadieh in the men’s 60kg roundof-32 boxing bout at the Commonwealth Games at the Scottish Event Campus here on Saturday.
However, the 26-year-old Indian dug deep to register a 4-1 split decision victory and advance to the pre-quarterfinals, where he will face England’s William Hewitt.
Sachin, a former Commonwealth Youth Games champion, missed his opening attack--right hook--but the Canadian was quick to evade it. Keoma responded with a right punch to Sachin’s face. The Indian, however, settled into the contest, using sharp counters with both hands to regain control and edge a closely fought opening round 3-2, with three judges scoring 10-9 in his favour.
Looking to recover after dropping the first round, Keoma, the 57kg bronze medallist at the 2022 CWG in Birmingham, increased the tempo in the second. Sachin remained composed under pressure, slipping several attacks before unleashing a flurry of accurate combinations on the counters. His discipline earned him a unanimous 10-9 verdict from all five judges, taking the round 5-0.
The third round was another closely contested affair, with both boxers exchanging punches and moving constantly around the ring. Sachin adopted a more defensive approach for much of the round but finished strongly, landing a solid right followed by a left that caught Keoma cleanly. Although the Canadian pushed him all the way and won the third 2-3, Sachin had done enough to secure the victory.
The bout also underlined the progress made by Al-Ahmadieh. Having lost to Sachin on two previous occasions, the 23-year-old Canadian produced a far more competitive display this time and stretched the Indian throughout the contest before eventually going down on points.
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Published on Jul 25, 2026