CHENNAI : Lalbuatsaihi made short work of her opponent in the women’s 64kg semifinal on Thursday, which was her opening bout in the ongoing Asian Championships in Dubai. From the sound of the bell, the boxer from Mizoram displayed her raw power by landing some telling blows to overwhelm Kuwait’s Noura Almutairi. She kept up the relentless attack throughout the opening round as Almutaira struggled to cope.
After just over 80 seconds into the second round, the coaches from the Almutaira’s camp had seen enough. They conceded the fight on behalf of the helpless pugilist.What’s interesting is Lalbuatsaihi, who started boxing in 2005, was not even supposed to be part of this team initially. Based on trials results, Assam boxer Pwilao Basumatary was supposed to be representing the country in the 64kg category. But Basumatary couldn’t make the trip due to delay in visa application process due to lockdown. Basumatary’s unfortunate loss is proving to be Lalbuatsaihi’s lucky break.
“In sports, it is common to see the No 2 players become stronger than first-choice players as soon as the former gets the opportunity. She is an excellent boxer and is very brave. She just needs to gain experience and improve her technical skills. I’m not surprised with her good show and I’m delighted with this result,” Raffaele Bergamasco, India women’s high performance coach, said.
Coming from a humble background, she has been supporting her mother, who runs a garment shop. She’s had constant battle within on whether to pursue her boxing dream or find a stable job to support her family. One of the four women from India who’ll be action in the finals on Saturday, she will now look to make this rare opportunity count and bag gold in her first-ever major outing.
Another boxer who’ll look to make her opportunity count is Anupama (+81 kg). The 2017 Youth World Championships bronze medallist had outwitted Mokhira Abdullaeva of Uzbekistan in the semifinals. Having known her since her youth days, Bergamasco is encouraged after seeing her progress over the years. “Anupama is a good talent but she has to have faith in herself more. She is still young and can improve even further,” the Italian coach said.