Indian boxer Sakshi (52kg) notched a 5-0 unanimous decision win against Zhazira Urakbayeva of Kazakhstan to advance to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Championship in New Delhi on Monday.
Sakshi, the 2021 Asian Championship bronze medallist, utilised her height and long reach to her advantage. She would punch Urakbayeva and step back quickly, not letting her opponent counterattack.
The Indian danced around the ring, playing with aggression and released a number of punches to emerge victorious.
“I played much better than I expected. She is a good boxer so I thought it would be a 19-20 fight, but the strategy worked for me and I was able to dominate,” Sakshi said after the bout.
Later in the day, Preeti (54kg) will face Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas in a round of 16 bout while Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain will open her campaign against Vanessa Ortiz of Mexico in the 75kg pre-quarterfinals.