AIBA World Championships: Indian boxer Priya Ghanghas on Monday assured herself of a medal in the women's 60kg category after a unanimous 5-0 win over Tajikistan's Mijgona Samadova in the quarterfinals at the Nishio Gymnasium here.
Priya was trailing 2-3 at the end of the opening round but came from behind in the next two to register a strong 5-0 win to secure at least a bronze for her.
Both Priya and Samadova put up strong performances in the first round. Following a measured start, the Tajik boxer hit a few punches, while Priya also landed a few in the last 90 seconds. However, Samadova, who the bronze medallist from Hangzhou Games in the 57kg, won the opening round 3-2.
Priya was more aggressive in the second round and landed some good combination punches as the Tajik boxer was also given a point penalty. Priya won the second round 5-0 with Samadova given a penalty.
The Tajik boxer looked desperate for a win in the last round and went firing on all cylinders. A few of her punches landed, but Priya also hit some when she saw Samadova on the back foot as the Indian pugilist won the third round 5-0 too. All five judges voted in Priya's favour, with three ruling 29-27 to Priya and two giving her 30-26 across the three rounds.
Priya will now have a pretty tough competitor to contend with in the semifinal as she faces China's Yang Chengyu on Wednesday for a place in the gold medal bout. Chengyu is a two-time World Championship medallist, having won a gold in the 2023 AIBA World Championships and a bronze at the 2025 Worlds.
This is now India's fifth confirmed boxing medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Earlier in the day, Lovlina Borgohain assured herself of a medal with a strong 5-0 win in the women's 75kg quarterfinal against Korea's Seong Suyeon.
Borgohain, the 2023 Hangzhou Games silver medallist, now has a second Asiad medal assured after a stellar performance in the quarterfinal of the ongoing continental showpiece.
This is now India's fifth confirmed boxing medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Earlier in the day, Lovlina Borgohain assured herself of a medal with a strong 5-0 win in the women's 75kg quarterfinal against Korea's Seong Suyeon.
Also Read: Special Cricket Stories
Meanwhile, Parveen also booked herself a medal in the women's 65kg category after defeating Uzbekistan's Navbakhor Khamidova by 5-0 in the quarterfinal.