KATHMANDU, Dec 11: Nepali boxer Chandra Bahadur Thapa has secured at least a bronze medal at the ongoing AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championship in the United Arab Emirates, guaranteeing a prize purse of USD 75,000—equivalent to more than Rs 10.7 million.
Thapa advanced to the semifinals of the 54 kg men’s category on Wednesday after defeating Iran’s Kazemi Mehdi by a unanimous decision in the quarterfinals. Under AIBA’s prize structure, the gold, silver, and bronze medalists receive USD 300,000, USD 150,000, and USD 75,000, respectively.
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A native of Rolpa, Thapa represents the Nepal Police Club in domestic competitions. He is the younger brother of Bhupendra Thapa Magar, the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) gold medalist. This marks Thapa’s biggest achievement in six international appearances.
Thapa will now face Saken Bibossinov of Kazakhstan— the 2021 World Champion and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist—in the semifinals. Nepal’s AIBA Three-Star Coach Deepak Maharjan said Thapa’s confidence and discipline have been key to his performance.
“He is confident, hardworking, and highly disciplined. His endurance is excellent. We are hopeful he will deliver another strong result in the semifinal,” Maharjan said.
Earlier, Thapa defeated Armenia’s Davit Yegoryans, ranked World No. 6, by a 4–0 split decision to reach the quarterfinals. He began his campaign with a 5–0 victory over Indonesia’s Masihor Yosue Holy. This week also marked a first for Nepal, with two Nepali boxers entering the World Championship quarterfinals.
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