LIVERPOOL: Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria is just a step away from her first World Championships medal after storming into the quarterfinals, even as two other Indian boxers exited the tournament.
Competing in her third World Championships, Jaismine delivered a commanding performance in the women’s 57kg round of 16, outpointing Brazil’s two-time Olympian Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu 5-0 late Sunday night. The bout was a rematch of their gold-medal clash at the Astana tournament in July, which Jaismine had narrowly won.
After a slow start, Jaismine finished the opening round strongly with a late flurry of punches. In the second round, Romeu pressed forward aggressively, but the Indian boxer countered smartly, using her height and reach advantage. In the final round, Jaismine landed clean, precise shots to seal a convincing victory.
She will next face Asian Under-22 champion Khumorabonu Mamajonova of Uzbekistan, needing just one more win to secure a World Championships medal.
In the men’s draw, Abhinash Jamwal also advanced, cruising into the 65kg round of 16 with a dominant 5-0 win over Mexico’s Hugo Barron.
However, it was disappointment for Sanamacha Chanu (70kg) and Sakshi Chaudhary (54kg), who both bowed out in the round of 16. Sanamacha lost to Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova, while Sakshi was outclassed by Turkey’s Hatice Akbas, Paris Olympics silver medallist and two-time Worlds medallist.
Sakshi’s inexperience showed against the technically superior Akbas, who struck cleanly and with authority. An overly aggressive start cost the Indian two points for punching after the referee called a break, and lacking power in her shots, she was unable to gain ground. She did land a solid blow on the final bell, but the outcome was already decided.
Later Monday, Sachin (60kg) will face Biibars Zhexen of Kazakhstan, Sumit Kundu (75kg) will meet Bulgaria’s Rami Kiwan, Narender (90+kg) will take on Italy’s Diego Lenzi, and Neeraj Phogat will challenge local favourite Sacha Hickey in the women’s 65kg category.
