Lovlina Borgohain enters final of Asian Elite Boxing Championships

Guwahati: Lovlina Borgohain ducked, weaved and punched her way to the final of the Asian Boxing Championships, scoring a comprehensive win over Korea’s Suyeon Seong in Amman, Jordan on Wednesday.

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist is making her first foray in middleweight (75kg). The tall boxer, who has moved up from welterweight (69kg), has shown steady improvement in the tournament. She pulled off a tough win against 2016 World Champion Valentina Khalzova of Kazakhstan (3:2) in the first round. Against Seong, she took her time to find her range. The Korean attacked at the start unleashing her hooks.

Light on her feet, Borgohain waited to slip in her punches. The clean hitting rattled Seong. With the first round going 4-1 in Borgohain’s favour, the Indian stepped it up in the second using combination punches, moving in and out of range in style. Borgohain dominated the second round and had enough firepower to strike some solid blows in the third, eventually winning by a unanimous verdict.

In the final, she will face Uzbekistan’s Ed Ruzmetova Sokhiba, who beat Hergie Bacyadan of Philippines 3-2. This is Borgohain’s best performance at the Asian Championships. She had won two bronze medals (2017, 2021) in welterweight.

After her stellar performance at the Tokyo Olympics, Borgohain struggled with form and could not win a medal at the world championships or Commonwealth Games this year. With an eye on the Paris Olympics, she switched to the heavier division. A win will give her a big boost.

Alfiya Pathan (81+kg) also reached the final beating 2016 world champion Lazzat Kungeibayeva of Kazakhstan (5:0) by unanimous decision. Ankushita Boro (66kg) lost 1:4 to Khamidova Navbakhor of Uzbekistan, finishing with a bronze. In 52kg, Minakshi beat Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg of Mongolia 5-0.

India to host women World Championships

India will host the Women’s Boxing World Championships in New Delhi, likely in March. International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev signed the host city agreement with BFI President Ajay Singh here on Wednesday. World champion Nikhat Zareen was also present. India hosted the event in 2006 and 2018.

There is a significant boost in prize money. The total purse is expected to be $2.4m ( ₹19.5 crore). The winners will get ₹81 lakh ($100,000).