Tokyo, July 27: Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain on Tuesday (July 27) defeated Nadine Apetz of Germany in the Round of 16 clash to enter the quarter-finals of the women's welterweight (69-75kg) category in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
On her debut bout in the Olympics, Borgohain defeated Apetz 3-2 at the Kokugikan Arena. The Indian pugilist, who is one win away from a medal, will next face Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-chin in the last 8 clash on Friday (July 30).
Lovlina took Round 1, 3-2 and this created pressure on her German opponent. In Round 2 as well Lovlina maintained her charge and unleashed further punches, throwing Apetz off her guard.
The 23-year-old did not hold back in the third and final round, and in the end, won the match via split decision to reach the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals.
Earlier on Sunday (July 25), veteran Mary Kom advanced to the Round of 16 in women's flyweight (48-51 kg) category after defeating Miguelina Garcia of the Dominican Republic in the round of 32. Mary Kom defeated Miguelina 4-1.
However, three other Indian boxers made first round exits. Vikas Krishnan lost in the men's welterweight boxing event, while Manish Kaushik and Ashish Kumar lost in the lightweight and middleweight round of 32 bouts respectively.
Meanwhile, four other Indian boxers - Amit Phangal, Pooja Rani, Satish Kumar and Simranjit Kaur are set to be in action in the coming days for bouts in their respecive category.