Indian star boxer Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), an Olympic bronze medalist, suffered a shock loss by disqualification to Ireland’s O’Rourke Aoife in the first round of the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament on Monday. The match referee disqualified Borgohain 1 minute and 18 seconds into the third round of the pre-quarterfinal battle after the 26-year-old Indian boxer received her third warning for aggressive grappling. Borgohain’s loss was a shock to the Indian fans as the Indian stalwart is very well known for her brilliant performances and amazing wins.
Borgohain, who has already qualified for the Paris Olympics, won the first two rounds 3-2 but had one point deducted in each, leaving her behind with three minutes to go. With Aoife taking an aggressive stance, Borgohain threw punches from a distance but failed to connect. Borgohain, the third Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal, repeatedly clinched throughout the battle, which resulted in her disqualification.
Two-time world champions Nikhat Zareen (50kg) and Sakshi Chaudhary (57kg) started their campaigns with contrasting wins. Nikhat defeated Mongolia’s Oyuntsetseg Yesugen 3-2. Both boxers arrived with an attacking purpose, landing heavy blows at every opportunity. The boxers were at their aggressive best, giving each other no room to breathe. However, it was the defending world champion, Nikhat, who eventually won. She will meet Lkhadiri Wassila of France in the quarterfinals on February 8, Thursday.
Sakshi, on the other hand, outperformed Algeria’s Selmouni Chahira with her quick reflexes and unexpected assaults. The young Indian dominated the match right from the start, winning easily 5-0 by unanimous decision to advance to the quarterfinals. Sakshi will face Uzbekistan’s Mamajonova Khumorabonu in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Preeti Pawar (54kg), a bronze medalist at the Asian Games, suffered a 2-3 loss to Ireland’s Fay Niamh. Both boxers had their moments in the first two rounds, with Fay taking the lead early. Preeti made an incredible comeback in the third round, with all five judges agreeing with her, but it was insufficient, and she was eliminated from the tournament after a long battle.
Earlier on Sunday, Jugnoo (86kg) defeated Kocharian Ashot of Ukraine 3-2 in the round of 16. He will now face Uzbekistan’s Djalolov Samandar in the quarterfinals on Thursday. On February 6, Tuesday, three male boxers will kick-start their campaign in their respective round-of-16 matches. Sachin (57kg) will face Uzbekistan’s Fayzov Khudoynazar, Vanshaj (63.5kg) will take on Iran’s Habibinezhad Ali, and Sagar (92+kg) will battle against Jazeviciius Jonas of Lithuania.
