NEW DELHI: Asian champion Pooja Rani (75kg) entered the semifinals to secure a medal but two-time world bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) bowed out after a quarterfinal loss at the 35th Boxam International Boxing Tournament in Castellon, Spain.
In late night bouts on Wednesday, Olympic-bound Rani defeated Italian Assunta Canfora to join the seasoned M C Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg) and debutant Jasmine (57kg) in the last-four stage. The three had won their quarterfinals earlier in the day.
Rani is a three-time Asian medallist and also a 2014 Asian Games bronze-winner.
However, Borgohain, who has also qualified for the Tokyo Games, lost 0-5 to Russia’s Saadat Dalgatova to make a surprisingly early exit from the tournament.
Asian bronze-winner Manisha Moun (57kg) was another Indian to be ousted from contention when she was defeated 0-5 by Italian Irma Testa in the quarterfinals.
On Thursday, eight Indian male boxers will fight it out to make the medal rounds.
The list comprises the Olympic-bound five of Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), and Satish Kumar (+91kg) along with Mohammed Hussamuddin (57kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg) and Sanjeet (91kg).
Boxers from 17 countries, including Russia, USA, Italy, Kazakhstan and Spain, are participating in the event.