Boxing: Preeti Pawar, Lovlina Borgohain and Narender Berwal assure India three more medals at Asian Games 2023

19-year-old Preeti has secured her Paris Olympics 2024 berth

Three Indian boxers have successfully advanced to the semi-final round in their respective events at the Asian Games 2023, guaranteeing at least three medals for the country in boxing.

Preeti Pawar, Lovlina Borgohain, and Narender Berwal emerged victorious over their opponents, solidifying their positions in the upcoming round.

In the morning, 19-year-old young boxer Preeti Pawar emerged victorious in a match against Zhaina Shekerbekova from Kazakhstan. With an impressive score of 4:1 on points, Pawar secured her place in the Women's Boxing 54kg semifinals at the Asian Games and simultaneously secured a quota for the Paris Olympics in 2024. 

Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain also demonstrated a commanding performance, securing a victory of 5-0 against South Korea's Su Yeon Seong during the quarterfinal bout. Consequently, she progressed to the semi-finals of the women's 75kg event, ensuring that she secures a medal in the upcoming Asian Games 2023.

However, Lovlina is yet to secure the Olympic quota, as boxers in the 66kg and 75kg weight categories who earn gold and silver medals will be the ones qualifying in those particular divisions.

In the quarter-final of the Men's +92kg category at the Asian Games 2023, Narender Berwal achieved a noteworthy victory with a 5:0 score on points against his opponent, Iman Ramezanpourdelavar from Iran.

Although the panel of judges initially declared the Iranian boxer as the victor in the first round, it was evident that Narender showcased his superior boxing skills in the subsequent two rounds to come out as a winner. And he is just one win away from securing his spot at the Paris Olympics 2024.

With these three medal assurances, the medal list in boxing has risen to four as two-time World Champion Nikhat Zareen has already secured her place in the semi-final of Women’s 50kg event at the Asian Games 2023 after a dominating win over Jordan's Hanan Nassar in quarterfinal.