DUBAI: Defending champion Pooja Rani (75kg) notched a second consecutive gold with a thorough victory as the veteran MC Mary Kom (51kg) signed with a silver medal in the Asian Boxing Championships on Sunday.
Even the Olympic-bound Pooja (75 lb ), that was also competing in her first bout of the championship after obtaining a bye along with a walkover before, dismantled Mavluda Movlonova of Uzbekistan with a medical operation.
She earned $10,000 for the one-bout series where Movlonova was only out of forms, not able to keep up with this Indian’s strength.
But, six-time world winner Mary Kom (51kg) and championship debutant Lalbuatsaihi (64kg) signed with silver awards after both lost extreme final spells.
The Olympic-bound Mary Kom went in a divided 2-3 verdict to Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan.
It had been the Manipuri celebrity’s seventh trophy in the championship, the first becoming a golden which came back from the 2003 version.
Her championship record currently stands in five gold and 2 silver awards.
Lalbuatsaihi dropped 2-3 too but after lending her Kazakh rival Milana Safronova a struggle to remember.
The two Indians finished with prize money of $5,000 eachyear.
Lalbuatsaihi came to the Indian team as a late replacement to its veteran Pwilao Basumatary, whose passport had died.
The Mizo fighter emptied her equal with her counter-attacks but missing momentum at the last round to finish second greatest.
Before up against a competitor 11 years younger on her, the 38-year-old Mary Kom created an impressive beginning and clinched the opening around comfortably by relying upon her sharp counter-attacks.
The speed picked up from the next round and the fighters showed competitive intent.
The Kazakh attracted level at this stage along with her jabs landing flawlessly.
Mary Kom fought in the last few minutes but this wasn’t sufficient to find the judges’ nod.
Kyzaibay is a two-time world winner and also a six-time national winner.
All gold-winners obtained prize money from $10,000 eachyear.
On Monday, Amit Panghal (52kg), Shiva Thapa (64kg) and Sanjeet (91kg) may battle it out from the men’s finals.
Panghal will square off against reigning Olympic and world champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan.
It’ll be a replica of this 2019 world tournament final where the Indian had dropped to settle for silver.
Thapa is going to soon be up from Mongolia’s Baatarsukh Chinzorig, who’s the Games silver-medallist.
Sanjeet takes on Kazakh legend Vassiliy Levit, who’s pursuing his fourth gold in the showpiece.
Eight other Indians — that the Olympic-bound trio of all Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), along with Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), also Jaismine (57kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (64kg), Monika (48kg), Saweety (81kg) and Varinder Singh (60kg) — procured bronze medals after semifinal losses.
They even have a prize funds of $2,500 each with their third-place finishes.
Pooja strikes goldsilver to Mary Kom, Lalbuatsaihi in Asian Boxing
