Lovlina Borgohain's grit propelled her to stun accomplished 34-year-old Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Kaye Scott of Australia with a 5-0 win. She is among the four Indians who booked berths in the semifinals to ensure medals for the host in the women's World boxing championships at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex iin New Delhi on Tuesday.
Two other debutants – Sonia Chahal (57kg) and Simranjit Kaur (64kg) – and the charismatic M.C. Mary Kom (48kg) also recorded wins in their respective quarterfinal matches to repeat India's performance of four medals in the 2008 edition in Ningbo City, China.
A fierce competitor, who switched from martial arts Muay Thai to boxing, Lovlina matched the seasoned Aussie in tactical aspects in one of the best bouts of the day.
Lovlina was cautious not to concede any early advantage. She didn't get bogged down by the Aussie's counter-attacks and raised her game to put pressure on Kaye in the second round. The Australian had a tough time in the final round as Lovlina did not miss an opportunity to land her combination of punches.
“I knew what to do as I had sparred with Kaye before,” said the 21-year-old from Assam.
Lovlina will meet Chinese Taipei's Nien-Chin Chen, who beat Myriam Da Silva Rondeau by a 4-1 verdict.
Five-time champion Mary Kom displayed her class again to subdue Chinese Yu Wu's fast game. Without getting perturbed by Yu's early onslaught, Mary frustrated the youngster with her tactical flair. The experienced pugilist maintained a safe distance and used the ring well as she breached Yu's defence on regular intervals.
Amidst chants of 'Mary Kom, Mary Kom,' the 35-year-old cruised to a 5-0 victory and assured herself of her seventh Worlds medal. Mary will face North Korean Hyang Mi Kim, who had lost to the Indian in the 2017 Asian championships final, in the semis.
Sonia once again enjoyed a slice of luck as she weathered a tank-like built Columbian Yeni Castenada's blows to post a 4-1 win.
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Simranjit fought valiantly to beat Irish Amy Sara Broadhurst 3-1 and fix a date with Chinese Dan Dou, who beat Shoira Zulkaynarova of Tajikistan 5-0.
The journey, however, ended for Pinki Rani (51kg), Manisha Moun (54kg), Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg) and Seema Poonia. (+81kg).
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