Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: Indian Women Pugilists had a fantastic start on day three of Asian Women Boxing Championships At Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Wednesday with Pinki Jangra (48 kgs), Sonia Lather (51 kgs) and Sarita Devi (60 kgs) winning their bouts while Meena Rani was unfortunate to lose a close bout to the hosts Mongolia.
In the 48 kgs weight category, Pinki Jangra defeated Dina Ilyubayeva of Kazakhstan on points 17:8. The bout was evenly poised in the first round which ended at 2:2 while at the end of second round the score was 5:5. However with clever change of strategy of attacking her opponent with combination punches and left hooks, Pinki managed to lead 10:6 at the end of round three. In the final round it was an all assault by Pinki which placed her at a final score of 17:8. Pinki will now meet Yujie Luo of China in the semi finals on 24 March 2012.
In the 54 kgs, Sonia Lather defeated her opponent Vidhushika Prabadhi Mohott from Sri Lanka on points 24:5. Right from the first round Sonia had the upper hand and was leading comfortably. Sonia footwork and movements were sharp and precise and she managed to deliver telling blows on the Sri Lankan at will. She will now meet Gulzhan Akimova of Kazakhstan in the semi finals on 24 March 2012.
In the 60 kgs, which is an Olympic Games weight category, Sarita had her hands full while playing against Gulzhaina Ubbiniyazova of Kazakhstan. As directed by her coach, Sarita went on the offensive and started attacking the Kazakh boxer with swift left right combinations by moving in at close range. At end of round 1 the score was 6:2 which increased to 12:5 by end of round 2 and 16:8 by round 3 and finished the bout at 23:11. She now meets Chen Dong of China in the semi finals on 24 March 2012.
In the 64 kgs, Meena Rani lost a close bout to Uyanga Erdenesoyol of Mongolia on points 11: 13. At the end of round 1, Meena was ahead on points 3:1 and she continued to hold the lead at 4:2 pts at the end of round 2. However in round 3, the Mongolian boxer with the local crowd supporters vociferously cheering her went on the offensive and snatched the lead whereby Meena was down by one point 7:8. Although Meena tried to go all out in round 4, the Mongolian held on to her lead and won on points 13:11.
In the quarter final bouts on 22 March 2012, Mary Kom will meet Nandinsetseg Myagmardul of Mongolia while in the 57 kgs, Mandakini Chanu will play against Kil Ok Kim of PRK. In the 69 kgs, Monica Saun will meet Moldir Bazarbayeva of Kazakhstan while in the 75 kgs, Pooja Rani will play against Undram Erdenesoyol of Mongolia. (IANS)
