Liverpool, Sep 8 (PTI) Commonwealth Games bronze winner Jaismine Lamboria closed in on her maiden World Championships medal after storming into the quarterfinals, even as three other Indian boxers bowed out of the competition.
Competing in her third World Championships, Jaismine produced a clinical performance in the women's 57kg round of 16, out-punching Brazil's two-time Olympian Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu 5-0 late Sunday night.
The bout was a repeat of their gold medal clash at the Astana tournament in July, which Jaismine had edged narrowly.
Jaismine finished the opening round strongly with a late flurry of punches after a rather sedate start.
In the second, Romeu was more aggressive pressing forward but the Indian responded smartly. Holding a significant height advantage, she used her reach to counter from distance.
In the final round she landed clean scoring shots to seal the deal.
Jaismine is now just a win away from a World Championships medal. She will next face Asian Under-22 champion Khumorabonu Mamajonova of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals.
In the men's draw, Abhinash Jamwal also progressed, moving into the 65kg round of 16 with a commanding 5-0 victory over Mexico's Hugo Barron.
But it was disappointment for Sanamacha Chanu (70kg) and Sakshi Chaudhary (54kg) and Neeraj Phogat (65kg) who all exited in the round of 16.
Sanamacha went down 0-5 to Kazakhstan's Natalya Bogdanova, while Sakshi was also comprehensively beaten by Turkey's Hatice Akbas, the Paris Olympics silver medallist and two-time Worlds medallist.
Neeraj falls short against Hickey ================== Meanwhile, Neeraj put up a spirited fight before bowing out narrowly to England's Sacha Hickey in the 65kg pre-quarters on Monday.
Both boxers began brightly, with Hickey targeting the body and Neeraj catching her with a sharp uppercut. The Englishwoman, however, edged the opening round 3-2.
At a height disadvantage, Neeraj came back strongly in the second, charging forward to land crisp, well-timed combinations while Hickey tried to keep her at range.
The Indian closed the round with a clean three-punch burst that earned her a unanimous 5-0 verdict to level the contest.
Going into the final three minutes, Neeraj led on two of the five judges' cards and needed to sway just one more.
But the last round turned cagey, with both boxers throwing plenty but without landing cleanly.
Hickey did just enough to convince the judges, sealing the win and knocking Neeraj out of contention.
Sakshi outplayed by Paris Olympics silver medallist ============================== Sakshi's inexperience was exposed against the technically superior Akbas, who struck cleanly and with authority throughout the contest on Monday.
The Indian's over-aggressive start backfired as she was docked two points in the opening round for punching after the referee had called for a break.
Lacking power in her shots, Sakshi struggled to impose herself and was trailing heavily on all cards. She did show flashes in the final round, finding her range and landing a solid blow on the bell, but the outcome was already sealed.
This report includes content sourced from Press Trust of India (PTI), edited for clarity and context.
