Golden double for Jaismine and Minakshi at World Boxing C'ships; India sign off with 4 medals

LIVERPOOL: Jaismine Lamboria and Minakshi Hooda cemented their place in Indian boxing history here, clinching World Championship titles with gritty wins as the country capped off its best-ever campaign in the women's section on foreign soil.

Jaismine outclassed Paris Olympics silver medallist Julia Szeremeta of Poland in the 57kg summit clash late on Saturday night, prevailing 4-1 on the judges' scorecards (30-27, 29-28, 30-27, 28-29, 29-28) to end her stupendous campaign with a golden flourish.

"I have no words to describe how I am feeling," Jaismine told PTI.

"I had got out in the quarterfinals in the previous two Worlds, but I got the boost from the World Cup win and I decided I want to win one-sided matches. I just concentrated on my strategy and game."

Debutant Minakshi followed suit a day later on Sunday, out-punching Paris Olympics bronze medallist Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan by the same margin in the 48kg final to exact revenge for her World Cup loss in July.

Adding to the glory were Nupur Sheoran (80+kg) and the seasoned Pooja Rani (80kg), who signed off with silver and bronze medals respectively, in non-Olympic weight categories.

India thus ended with a haul of four medals, the best-ever in an overseas edition.

With their victories, Jaismine and Minakshi joined an illustrious list of Indian world champions featuring six-time winner Mary Kom, two-time champion Nikhat Zareen, Sarita Devi, Jenny RL, Lekha KC, Nitu Ghanghas, Lovlina Borgohain and Saweety Boora.

Jaismine shines bright

Competing in her third World Championships, the 24-year-old Jaismine grew steadily into the bout. After a relatively sedate start where both pugilists sized each other up, it was Szeremeta who drew first blood, prodded into action by the referee.

The much shorter Pole, who had lost the Olympic final to gender-row boxer Lin Yu-ting, was fast and precise, using defensive manoeuvres to dart in and out. She negotiated Jaismine's long reach to win the opening round 3-2.

But the Indian came roaring back in the second. Adjusting her rhythm, she began controlling the distance, evading Szeremeta's advances, and unleashing crisp combinations that swayed all the judges in her favour.

Jaismine employed the jab with authority while defending stoutly.

When the final verdict was announced, the usually serene Jaismine let out a brief yell, raising her hand before graciously embracing her crestfallen opponent. At the medal ceremony, her eyes glistened as the Indian national anthem reverberated through the arena.

Her's is the only medal that came in Olympic weight category.

Minakshi packs a punch

In her final bout, Minakshi made the most of her physical advantage, using her long reach to pepper Nazym Kyzaibay with sharp shots and keep the multiple World Championships medallist at bay.

The 24-year-old from Rurki looked composed on the back foot, landing clean straight punches, even as the more experienced 31-year-old Kazakh pressed forward with aggression.

After dropping the opening round, Kyzaibay came out firing in the second, resorting to body blows and even pinning Minakshi to the ropes to edge the round 3-2.

But Minakshi was quick to respond. Sensing the shift, she raised her aggression in the third, lunging forward with authority and taking the fight to her seasoned opponent.

Nupur walks away with silver

Nupur walked away with silver after a narrow 2-3 defeat to Poland's technically astute Agata Kaczmarska.

Despite enjoying a substantial height advantage, Nupur could not impose herself on the contest. She started brightly but Kaczmarska countered with relentless aggression, weaving through her reach and landing body blows that wore the Indian down.

As the bout progressed, Nupur grew hesitant to throw punches. The defining moment of the bout came in the final round when the Pole unleashed a stunning uppercut, enough to tip the verdict 3-2 in her favour.

Pooja signs off with bronze

Pooja signed off with a bronze medal after going down to local favourite Emily Asquith by a 1-4 split verdict in the 80kg semifinals.

Pooja began on the front foot, leading after the first round with her measured combinations. But Asquith adapted swiftly, changing her game plan to negate the 34-year-old's rhythm.

The local star pressed forward with sharper counters and cleaner execution, reversing the tide of the contest.