Ulaanbaatar: Rising Indian boxer Preeti Pawar downed Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aeji Im of Korea to storm into the final while the seasoned Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain bowed out of the Asian Boxing Championships here Monday.
Priya and Arundhati Choudhary also notched wins in their respective semifinals while world championship medallist Pooja Rani and Ankushita Boro signed off with bronze medals after losing their semifinals.
The star of the day was Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti, who delivered a composed and clinical performance, dominating all three rounds against Im to secure a 5-0 win. She will now face Chinese Taipei’s Huang Hsiao-wen, a three-time World Champion (2019, 2023, 2025) and Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist, in a marquee gold medal clash.
In the women’s 60kg category, Priya produced a commanding display to defeat local favourite Namuun Monkhor 5-0, sealing her spot in the final. She will now take on North Korea’s Un Gyong Won in the title bout.
Arundhati impressed with a 4-1 victory over Uzbek Oysha Toirova in the 70kg semifinal. The World Boxing Cup Final gold medallist showcased control and composure to progress to the final where she is set to face Kazakhstan’s Bakyt Seidish.
Two-time world champion Nikhat, however, went down 0-5 to reigning Olympic medalist China’s Wu Yu in the 51kg semifinal. agencies