Asian Boxing Champ: India's Minakshi, Preeti reaches semis
text_fieldsNew Delhi: Indian boxers Minakshi and Preeti made it to the semis and confirmed medals in their maiden appearance at the Asian Boxing Championships on Saturday, PTI reported.
At the event in Jordan's Amman, World Championship bronze medallist Parveen (63kg) also assured a medal, registering a unanimous win against Panpatchara Somnuek of Thailand in the quarterfinal.
While Minakshi (52kg) defeated four-time Southeast Asian Games medallist, Philippines' Irish Magno 4-1 in the quarterfinal, Preeti (57kg) exhibited a dominating performance to beat Turdibekova Sitora of Uzbekistan to win her last-eight-bout 5-0.
Minakshi made a strong start with confidence and kept her attacking mode on. Being sharp and nimble-footed, she maintained her consistency throughout the game and won the bout 4-1.
Preeti, the 2021 Asian Youth Boxing champion, exhibited a balance of strong offence and deft defence to win her battle.
Minakshi will face Mongolia's Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg, while Preeti will take on Japan's Irie Sena in the semifinals on November 9.
Meanwhile, Sakshi (54kg) suffered a 0-5 defeat against Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Hsiao-Wen Huang of Chinese Taipei.
Late on Friday, Ananta Chopade (54kg) reached quarters with a commanding 5-0 win over Japan's Tanaka Shogo, while Etash Khan (60kg) lost 2-3 against Thailand's Khunatip Pidnuch.