Astana [Kazakhstan], July 2 : Minakshi (48kg) and Pooja Rani (80kg) guaranteed India two medals on Day 3 of the World Boxing Cup-Astana, Kazakhstan 2025 with assured performances in their respective quarterfinal bouts.
Minakshi sealed her place in the semifinals with a dominant 5:0 win over Chinese Taipei's Guo Yi-Xuan, showing sharp movement and clean scoring throughout. Pooja Rani followed with a gritty 4:1 split decision victory over Kazakhstan's Gulsaya Yerzhan in the 80kg division, securing her berth in the final four and guaranteeing a podium finish.
Earlier in the day, Anamika (51kg) moved into the quarterfinals with a composed performance against Turkey's Aysen Taskin, keeping India's momentum alive.
In the men's draw, Jadumani Singh fought hard in a close contest but lost narrowly to the Philippines' Jay Bryan Baricuatro, bringing his campaign to a close.
With two medals secured on Day 3 and several boxers in contention, Team India continues its promising run at the Astana leg, with sights set on the finals in New Delhi later this year.
Earlier in the tournament, in the women's 54kg category, Sakshi put on a composed display to defeat England's Charley Davison with a unanimous 5:0 decision in her pre-quarterfinal bout. Jaismine followed with a confident showing of her own in the women's 57kg division, overcoming Azerbaijan's Aynur Mikayilova by the same margin to seal her place in the last eight.
Lakshya Chahar delivered a gritty performance in the men's 80kg category, moving past Bulgaria's William Cholov 4:1 in a split verdict. Meanwhile, Manish Rathore exited the competition after a closely contested bout against Rui Yamaguchi of Japan in the men's 55kg category.
Sakshi, Lakshya and Jaismine now join Sachin Siwach, Hitesh Gulia, Muskan, Minakshi and Sanju in the next round, underlining India's strong start to the tournament in Astana.
In the Brazil leg in April earlier this year, the Indian contingent delivered an impressive performance in their first-ever outing at the Elite level international meet organised by World Boxing, bagging six medals, including a gold and a silver, at Foz Do Iguacu.
Four Indian players bagged bronze medals, including Jadumani Singh Mandengbam (50kg), Manish Rathore (55kg), Sachin (60kg) and Vishal (90kg).
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