NAGOYA: Lovlina Borgohain had saved the best for last. The India boxer was involved in an epic fight in the ongoing Asian Games at the Nisho Gymnasium in Aichi, Nagoya on Friday. The experienced pro put up a masterclass to capture the gold medal.
Celebrating her 28th birthday, the experienced pro outwitted Bao Ziyi of China -- reigning Asian champion -- by unanimous verdict. Having won silver in the last edition, this is a massive shot in the arm for the boxer from Assam.
This is India's gold medal in boxing since the 2018 edition. Amit Panghal was the last pugilist from the country to capture the yellow metal. MC Mary Kom was the last woman from India to achieve the same. The legendary boxer had won gold in the 2014 edition.
In what was a cagey fight, Lovlina used all her experience to take the lead in the opening three minutes. But it was very close. Sensing she was behind, Bao showed plenty of aggression as soon as the second round began. The southpaw threw all her combinations but Lovlina, a high calibre fighter with an Olympic medal to her name, remained ice cool to navigate the storm. Bao looked to make the fight dirty by constantly clinching the Indian but it didn't matter as Lovlina, landing some good counter punches, got the votes from all the five judges.
This is the biggest win for Lovlina post Paris Games, where she had missed out on a medal.
After the Olympics, she had stayed away for some time and there were question marks over her form after she had made a quiet exit in the World Championships in Liverpool.
With this win, she has shown that she's still a prominent force inside the squared circle.