Indian boxers Shiksha (54kg), Jaismine (60kg) and Anamika (50kg) displayed their skills and maturity to advance to the pre-quarterfinals at the 12th edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul on Thursday.
Shiksha, who faced Argentina’s Milagros Rosario Herrera showed a brilliant temperament and skillset to convincingly win by unanimous decision without breaking a sweat.
She will next take on Mongolia’s Oyuntsetseg Yesugen in the pre-quarterfinals on Sunday.
Jaismine, who hails from Bhiwani, faced a tough challenge from Thailand’s two time Youth Asian Champion Porntip Buapa. The Indian boxer took some time to gauge her opponent’s strategy in the first round before coming back strongly in the last two rounds to win by a 4-1 split verdict.
Jaismine will square off against Angela Harris of Australia in the round-of-16 bout on Sunday.
Anamika, meanwhile, was up against Romania’s Eugenia Anghel and the bout started on an aggressive note as both the boxers relentlessly attacked from the get-go but the Indian’s footwork was sharper. Her movement helped her land clear punches and evade her opponent’s attack.
The boxer from Rohtak didn’t let her opponent settle down and dictated terms throughout the whole bout enroute a comfortable 5-0 win. She’ll next face World Championship bronze medallist Kristy Lee Harris of Australia.
Two time Asian Champion Pooja Rani (81kg) and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (70kg) will play their respective round-of-16 bouts on Friday.
Pooja, who will begin her World Championships campaign, will take on Hungary’s Timea Nagy while Lovlina will fight against Cindy Ngamba of Fair Chance Team. Lovlina had defeated former world champion Chen Nien-Chin in the first round on Monday.