Nishio (Japan), Sep 22 (PTI) Indian boxer Sakshi Chaudhary pulled off an upset by out-punching Paris Olympics bronze-medallist Aira Villegas of the Philippines 5-0 to storm into the women’s 51kg pre-quarterfinals at the Asian Games here on Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Bhiwani boxer used her height advantage and long reach quite well to keep Villegas at bay from the outset.
After a cagey start by both boxers, Sakshi employed the jab to control the proceedings throughout the round-of-32 bout.
She upped the tempo in the second round, unleashing a flurry of punches as Villegas struggled to cope with her pace and movement.
The Filipino southpaw landed a couple of stinging left hooks on the counter and threw a flurry of punches in the final round, but it was too little too late as all five judges awarded Sakshi a perfect 10 in every round.
Sakshi’s win continues her impressive run in the 51kg category.
She moved down from 54kg in May and defeated two-time world champion and previous edition’s bronze-medallist Nikhat Zareen in the selection trial.
A former junior and youth world champion, Sakshi went on to win gold at the Commonwealth Games last month.
Later in the day, CWG silver-medallist Jadumani Singh (55kg) will begin his campaign against Nepal’s Chandra Bahadur Thapa. PTI APA PM APA PM PM PM
(PTI News)