Two-time World Championships bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain produced an impressive performance to beat accomplished German boxer Nadine Apetz 3-2 in a keenly contested women’s 69kg pre-quarterfinal bout of the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.
After Mary Kom, Lovlina became the second Indian boxer to register a win in Tokyo.
The 23-year-old, who received a first-round bye, will now meet third seed Nien-Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Having done her homework well, Lovlina – who had secured her first Worlds bronze medal alongside Nadine in Delhi in 2018 – used her long reach to land punches against the strong German, who used her left jabs to good effect in the opening round.
The Indian, however, took the first round with a split 3-2 verdict.
Anticipating that Nadine, also a double Worlds bronze medallist and a two-time European bronze medallist, would step up her attack, Lovlina preferred to stay safe and come up with a punch or two.
The German fought well but could not execute her plans against the tactically superior Indian.
After claiming the first two rounds by identical 3-2 margins, Lovlina continued to throw punches from a distance even as Nadine tried in vain to catch up with her taller rival.
Lovlina, who had lost to Nien-Chin in the 2018 World Championships semifinals, needs to win her last-eight bout against the former World champion in order to ensure an Olympic medal.
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