Heavyweight boxer Nupur Sheoran assured India of its first medal at the World Boxing Championships as she defeated Oltinoy Sotimboeva of Uzbekistan to reach the semifinals of the women’s +80kg category on Wednesday.
Granddaughter of legendary boxer Hawa Singh, 26-year-old Nupur, who entered the competition directly in the quarterfinals, overcame a scrappy contest to beat the Uzbek 4-1 and secure at least a bronze medal. The +80kg, which is a non-Olympic weight category, features just 10 boxers in the ongoing competition.
Nupur started on a strong note, landing a sharp combination of punches early on. The Uzbek responded with a straight jab, but frequent clinching disrupted the flow. Cleaner punching helped the Indian take the opening round on four of the five cards.
Sotimboeva, 20, refused to back down in the second round, keeping the exchanges messy yet managing to sway two judges despite Nupur finishing the round with a flurry of shots. Sotimboeva was docked a point for excessive holding in the final round, while Nupur had a point deducted for using her head soon after, cancelling the advantage.
Though the closing stages saw more swinging than scoring, Nupur's ability to land cleaner punches proved decisive as she booked her spot in the semifinals.
On Tuesday night, Jadumani Singh (48kg) and Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) had progressed to the men's quarterfinals with comprehensive wins, while Jugnoo Ahlawat’s (85kg) campaign ended in the opening round against Scotland’s Robert McNulty.
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