By Our Special Correspondent
From the time they first met in New Delhi four years ago, Lovlina Borgohain had never defeated Chen Nien-Chin. Now, she has got the better of the former world champion twice in two bouts. Tokyo Olympics quarterfinal bout against former World champion Nien-Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei, a confident Lovlina Borgohain recorded a narrow 3-2 win in a 70kg first round contest on the opening day of the World women’s boxing championships in Istanbul on Monday.
The Olympics bronze medalist from India executed her tactics well to emerge as the winner in a tough bout featuring two 24-year-olds. The taller Lovlina used her long reach well and moved in and out to land some impressive punches on Chen and take the first round by a split verdict.
The duo would not have met so early in a World Championship in normal circumstances; in the 2018 edition Delhi, they met only at the semifinal stage. However, with weight categories getting shuffled in the Paris Olympics cycle, the International Boxing Association did not name any seeds for the Worlds, resulting in some tough opening-round bouts.
Lovlina had taken bronze medals in the 69kg weight class after losing to Chen, a World champion in 2018 and a bronze medalist in 2016, in the semifinals of the 2018 World championships in Delhi and the 2019 Strandja Memorial event in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Both boxers went gung-ho at the start of the second essay and were trading punches at a fast rate. However, the Indian continued to remain in control mixing her punches well (head shots and body shots) to stop Chen from causing damage on her.
In the final round, both boxers were involved in plenty of clinching in a bid to avoid damage. Both showed plenty of heart but it was Lovlina who had just shaded the fight.
On the competition’s second day on Wednesday, Nitu will be the lone Indian boxer in action, beginning her challenges in the 48kg opening round against Romania’s Steluta Duta in the round of 32.
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