Sakshi Chaudhary in action© Getty
Sakshi Chaudhary and Arundhati Choudhary continued India’s impressive run in the boxing ring, storming into the their respective semifinals with a contrasting victories at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Wednesday. While Sakshi (51kg) defeated Northern Ireland’s Caitlin Fryers 5-0, Arundhati had to work hard for her 3-1 win against New Zealand’s Morgan Henderson to assure themselves of at least a bronze medal. The the unanimous decision win made Sakshi the fourth Indian boxer to secure a podium finish at the Games after Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) Priya Ghanghas (60kg) , Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Jadumani Singh (55kg).
Making full use of her height and reach advantage, the Indian, who has moved down from the 54kg weightclass, dictated the contest from the opening bell, keeping Fryers at bay with crisp, accurate jabs and well-timed straight punches.
“Her strategy was to fight from close range and she kept clinching. Mine was to box from long range which is my forte,” Sakshi told PTI after the bout.
The Irish boxer tried to unsettle Sakshi with constant aggression, throwing punches in volume, but the Indian remained composed, slipping and evading most of the attacks before responding with cleaner, more effective combinations.
The bout featured frequent clinches as both boxers got tangled at close quarters, even tumbling to the canvas during one exchange in round 2. But Sakshi never lost control of the contest.
Despite Fryers’ relentless pressure, Sakshi controlled the distance brilliantly, using her superior footwork and ringcraft to dictate the pace from start to finish and seal a comfortable victory.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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