Jamuna, Lovlina enter quarters of world women’s boxing championship

Boro defeated the Algerian 5-0 to make the last-eight and is just one win away from securing her maiden world medal on debut.

Jamuna Boro was a bronze-medallist at the 2015 Youth World Championships.

Last edition’s bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and debutant Jamuna Boro (54kg) on Wednesday marched into the quarterfinals of the World Women’s Boxing Championships with comprehensive victories in the pre-quarters here.

Boro defeated the Algerian, an African Games gold-medallist, 5-0 to make the last-eight and is just one win of securing her maiden world medal.

The 22-year-old, employed with Assam Rifles, was slow off the blocks but became the dominating aggressor as the bout progressed.

The two pugilists fought an engaging battle in the second and third round, but it was Boro who made a better impression with her cleanly-struck jabs.

 

The third round belonged entirely to Boro with Sfouh falling short for the most part.

The Assamese, whose mother worked as a vegetable seller to financially support her sporting aspirations, is a gold-winner from this year’s India Open.

She was a bronze-medallist at the 2015 Youth World Championships. Boro will next take on Germany’s Ursula Gottlob, who upstaged European Championships bronze-medallist and fourth seed Yuliya Apanasovich of Belarus in her pre-quarterfinal bout in a split 3-2 verdict.

The referee mistakenly raised Apanasovich’s hand at the end of the fight but later corrected himself.

In all, five Indians have made the quarterfinals of the mega-event.

Six-time champion and third seed M C Mary Kom (51kg), Manju Rani (48kg) and Kavita Chahal (+81kg) are the other Indians to have made the last-eight stage.

Chahal is yet to take the ring and has got direct entry into the quarters thanks to the small size of the draw in her weight category.