CHENNAI: Reigning world champions Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Minakshi Hooda (48kg) produced power-packed performances to enter the semifinals of the ongoing Asian Boxing Championships at the ASA Arena in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) on Sunday.
Having received byes in the opening round, the No 1 seeds in their weight categories were making their first appearance in the ongoing edition of the continental meet.
Besides, the male boxers — Lokesh (85kg), Akash (70kg) and Harsh Choudhary (90kg) — also entered the last-four stage. However, Ankush (80kg) suffered a loss. Controlling the bout with sharp combinations and ring awareness, Minakshi defeated Yuka Sadamatsu of Japan by unanimous verdict. Jaismine, who was making her first international appearance of the season, also produced a similar show to outclass China's Ziyi Chen. Jaismine was the standout pugilist last year and she'll be hoping to go all the way. Minakshi will also be eyeing nothing but a gold medal.
Focus on Nikhat, Lovlina
The business end has arrived. Senior pros and No 1 seeds Nikhat Zareen (51kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) will be in focus as they enter the ring for their respective semifinal bouts on Monday. While Nikhat will be making her second appearance, Lovlina, having received a bye in the quarterfinals, will be fighting for the first time. It's a stern test for both. On one hand, Nikhat, who's making her first international appearance this year, will be up against China's Wu Yu, an opponent who had beaten her in Round of 16 en route gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lovlina, on the other hand, will be up against Aziza Zokirova of Uzbekistan, who had produced a crushing victory (via RSC) over a Japanese rival in her opening bout. Zokirova is a silver medallist from the 2024 edition and more recently had captured silver (in 70kg) in the 2025 World Championships, where Lovlina had made a quiet exit. The Rio Olympics medallist from Assam had been in the background for large parts of 2025 edition and she'll be hoping to leave a mark in this event.
If they win their upcoming fights, they'll be in the main squad for upcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games, as per Boxing Federation of India's (BFI) selection policy.
