KATHMANDU: International boxer Abiral Ghimire known as Himalayan Cheetah (snow leopard) is competing in the K1 Super Welterweight Fight Tournament.

The 22-year-old Ghimire will be facing Japan’s professional kickboxer Fujimura for the event scheduled to be held on October 17 at Nagoya Congress Center of Nagoya city of Japan.

Fujimura has already the experience of fighting the world’s popular K1 kickboxing.

Abiral is the first Nepali boxer to win the title of ‘ K1 Festival 2021’ held in Tokyo of Japan last year. He defeated Japan’s professional player Khoteju to secure the historic achievement in very first round of the match.

He was successful in adding one more title to the list of his international awards by winning the title ‘Professional Kickboxing Hiit 48’ held in Japan last year.

Ghimire, the son of international boxer and coach Dev Kumar Ghimire, credited his success to the guidance of his father.

On social site, the coach expressed his hope that Abiral would be successful in clinching the title of K1 Super Welterweight. “To be qualified for competing in the match is itself a matter of pride as only world’s veteran players are allowed to compete in the championship,” he added.

Pulling a historic success in boxing at an early age, 21-year-old Abiral secured the second position in ‘K-1 Kickboxing International Championship 2020’.

He had become the first ‘boxer’ participating in the Championship at a young age from Nepal. Hailing from Chandragiri municipality-12, Abiral is living in Nagoya city in Japan for the past five years.

In recent periods, Abiral has become successful to become the first Nepali youth to play the international kickboxing championship.

It is said that K-1 boxing championship is looked at with high importance by international sports fraternity including in Japan.

Western United Club Chairperson Ram Narayan Ghimire shared that Abiral has secured the first position in most of the championships and became successful to set a world record.

He had won the title of Hiit 46 Kickboxing held in Nagoya of Tokyo last year. He became the youngest boxer to win the title.

He has become champion of middleweight of Hiit-24 kickboxing twice so far, got victory remaining knockout in nine matches, and has set a world record winning the title in eight matches, out of nine, of the international championship.

Chairperson of Gurjudhara-based international-standard vehicle academy and research center, Rajesh Ghimire, said, “Abiral has amazing, indomitable courage, passion, and diligence. He is a national gem. Let’s respect him.”