Army pugilists Piyal Dharmasena and Sanduni Priyadarshani covered a dominant performance by Army to carry away the Best Boxer awards at the 97th National Boxing Championships lead by the Boxing Association of Sri Lanka for the first time at the iconic outdoor venue of Galle Face Green.
Southpaw Piyal Dharmasena, a 34-year-old veteran with a string of international accolades, displayed technical brilliance to claim his fourth national title. In the bantamweight (Under-54kg) final, he delivered a knock-out victory against 24-year-old Ravindu Jayanath Kumara of Vidyarathna SC.
Dharmasena’s calculated aggression culminated in a decisive right-hook, securing the Sir Henry Manning Challenge Cup for the Most Scientific Boxer of the Nationals.
On the Women’s side, Sanduni Priyadarshani, 33, continued her stellar form, defeating 20-year-old Yashini Fernando in the flyweight (Under-52kg) final.
Priyadarshani’s tactical advantage and precision strikes led to a referee-stopped contest in the final moments of the bout.
The elder twin of Yashini, Sachini Fernando continued her dominance over Sri Lanka boxer 29-year-old Ishara Thushari Perera of Air Force to clinch her maiden title to add to her victory in the Clifford Cup.
The championship also celebrated emergent talents, with Daniel Thisaraarachchi of Back2Fit and Yazmin Usaith of St. Sylvester’s College BC securing their maiden national titles in the Men’s Under-48kg and 75kg categories, respectively.
Vidyarathna SC’s Nadeeka Ranasinghe, a two-time Best Boxer at the Nationals, showcased her mastery to claim the minimum weight (Under-48kg) title, earning the Dian Gomes Challenge Trophy for the Most Outstanding Women Boxer of the Year.
However, the event was not without controversy. Sri Lanka’s top male boxer, Umayanga Mihiran of Police, received the Eddie Gray Memorial Challenge Cup for his achievements but faced disqualification in the flyweight (Under-51kg) final for striking his opponent while he was down, resulting in a rare and dramatic end to his contest.
Director General of the Department of Sports Development Shemal Fernando was the chief guest.
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