The bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics performed admirably in the more difficult 75 kg middleweight division, but it took her some time until she completely outclassed her Korean opponent in Jordan.
Lovlina Borgohain defeated Korea’s Suyeon Seong in straight sets on Wednesday in Amman, Jordan, to advance to the final of the Asian Boxing Championships.
The bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics is competing for the first time at middleweight (75kg). The tall boxer, who upgraded from welterweight (69kg), has demonstrated consistent development throughout the competition. In the first round, she managed to defeat Kazakhstan’s Valentina Khalzova, the 2016 World Champion, (3:2). She took her time to determine her range when facing Seong. The Korean launched her initial strike while releasing her hooks.
Borgohain waited to sneak in her blows while she was swift on her feet. Seong was alarmed by the direct blow. With the score of the first round being 4-1 in favour of Borgohain, the Indian cranked it up in the second round with combination punches and fluid movement in and out of range.
The Borgohain won by a unanimous decision after dominating the second round and having enough firepower to land some significant strikes in the third.
She will compete against Ed Ruzmetova Sokhiba of Uzbekistan, who defeated Hergie Bacyadan of the Philippines 3-2 in the final. The performance by Borgohain at the Asian Championships is its best. In welterweight, she had won two bronze medals (in 2017 and 2021).
Borgohain struggled with her form after her outstanding performance at the Tokyo Olympics, and she was unable to take home a medal at either the world championships or the Commonwealth Games this year. She shifted to the heavier division with an eye toward the Paris Olympics. She will get a significant lift from winning.
By defeating Kazakhstan’s Lazzat Kungeibayeva (5:0), the world champion in 2016, Alfiya Pathan (81+kg) advanced to the final as well. Ankushita Boro (66 kg) came in fourth place after losing 1:4 to Khamidova Navbakhor of Uzbekistan. Minakshi defeated Mongolian Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg 5-0 in the 52 kg division.
World Championships for women will be held in India.
The Women’s Boxing World Championships will take place in India in New Delhi, most likely in March. On Wednesday, IBA President Umar Kremlev and BFI President Ajay Singh signed the host city agreement in this location. Nikhat Zareen, a world champion, was also present. In both 2006 and 2018, India served as the venue.
The amount of reward money has increased significantly. The estimated total amount is $2.4 million (about $19.5 crore). Each winner will receive 81 lakh rupees ($100,000).
