Xtra Time Web Desk:Ace India boxer Mary Kom made her way into the final of ASBC Asian Boxing Championships 2021 after defeating Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg in the women’s 51kg semi-final in Dubai on Thursday.
The seasoned campaigner Mary Kom made a defensive start and took her time in the first round. The six-time world champion made the Mongolian opponent work hard and looked in good touch in the next round as she landed timely and powerful punches that put pressure on Altantsetseg. Mary Kom, who was out of action and playing only second event since the lockdown after being recovered from dengue, kept her calm and used all her experience to take charge of the game and completed a 4-1 win.
Having won six medals already in the Asian Championships, including five gold, Mary Kom will be up against Kazakhstan’s two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay who entered the final beating Sri Lanka Nadeeka Pushpakumari with the referee stopping contest (RSC) after the first round.
Extending the winning momentum, two-time youth world champion Sakshi pulled off a power-packed performance and upstaged the 2016 world champion Dina Zholaman of Kazakhstan 3-2 in the 54kg last-4 clash and set up a gold medal match with Uzbek boxer Sitora Shogdarova.
Meanwhile, Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Monika (48kg) and Jasmine (57kg) secured bronze after suffering identical 5-0 defeats against Kazakh boxers Rimma Volossenko, Alua Balkibekova and Vladislava Kukhta respectively in their semi-final bouts.
Five men boxers, including defending champion Amit Panghal (52kg), Shiva Thapa (64kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Varinder Singh (60kg) and Sanjeet (91kg) will be seen competing in the last-4 stage on Friday. Shiva Thapa, who has secured a record fifth successive medal at the Asian Championships, will take on top-seeded Bakhodur Usmonov of Tajikistan. Panghal will square off against Kazakh boxer Saken Bibossinov, whom he beat in the 2019 World Championships semi-finals while Vikas will face challenge from defending champion Bobo Usmon Baturov of Uzbekistan.