Women's World Boxing Championships: Anamika, Jaismine and Shiksha move to pre-quarterfinals

Indian boxers continued their impressive run at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships as the trio of Anamika (50kg) Shiksha (54kg) and Jaismine (60kg) advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of their respective events in Istanbul on Thursday.

While Anamika got the better off Romania's Eugenia Anghel by unanimous decision to win her opening bout, Shiksha too prevailed with a similar 5-0 margin against Argentine Herrera Milagros Rosario. The third Indian boxer in the fray, Jaismine beat two-time youth Asian champion Porntip Buapa of Thailand by a 4-1 spilt decision.

Anamika showed her prowess and technical superiority against Anghel. The bout started on an aggressive note as both the boxers relentlessly attacked from the word go but Anamika displayed her sharp footwork and body feints to land clear punches while evading her opponent's counters.

The boxer from Rohtak continued her relentless attack in the second round and didn't let her opponent settle down. She dictated the terms throughout the whole bout and comfortably won by a 5-0 margin to move to the next round. Anamika will next face World Championships bronze medallist Kristy Lee Harris of Australia in the round-of-16 bout on Sunday.

Shiksha put up a fiery performance as she cruised into the pre-quarters. The two boxers continuously attacked each other in a high-paced bout but the Indian was able to land more clear and sharp punches. The last Indian bout of the day began on a tentative note as both boxers looked cautious but Jaismine emerged on top as she managed to land clear punches and defend tightly. Buapa was barely able to touch the Indian boxers in the first round.

Jaismine then dominated the bout with her counter-attacking punches to eventually book her place in the round of 16. Two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani (81kg) and Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (70kg) will play their respective round-of-16 bouts on Friday. Pooja, who will begin her campaign, will take on Hungary's Timea Nagy while Lovlina will fight against Cindy Ngamba of Fair Chance Team.

Lovlina had defeated former world champion Chen Nien-Chin in the first round on Monday. Late on Wednesday, Saweety (75kg) went down fighting against England's Kerry Davis and lost the bout by 2-3. In the last edition of the tournament, held in Russia in 2019, Indian boxers secured one silver and three bronze medals.