Jaismine, whose selection for Worlds was disputed by reigning national champion Poonam Poonia in her weight division, earned a dominating RSC (referee stoppage contest) win over Ambrose after her Tanzanian opponent received two standing counts from the referee in the first round.
The Birmingham CWG bronze medalist, playing in her first international tournament after recovering from a shoulder injury sustained before the Bhopal Nationals in December, displayed a wide array of combination punches, paired with her tactical and technical superiority, to see her rival in authoritarian fashion.
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“I take one fight at a time. I prepared well for the Worlds. I focus on my strengths and try to give my best,” she said after her fight.
Joining Jaismine in the pre-quarters was Shashi Chopra, who beat Kenyan Mwangi Teresiah by unanimous decision (5-0) in the round of 16 in the women’s 63 kg category. Shashi looked extremely confident in her approach and it never happened that she played her first major tournament at a senior level.
However, India suffered their first loss at Worlds when last-minute replacement Sanamacha Chanu, Shruti Yadav, lost 0-5 to China’s Zhou Pan in her round of 16 in the women’s 70kg division. Shruti lacked footwork, which hampered his speed and zing in his punches.
Boycott of New Zealand and Dutch boxers clash
New Zealand and the Netherlands, who were part of a US-led Worlds boycott after the International Boxing Association (IBA) allowed boxers from Russia and Belarus to compete under their flag and national anthem, took part in the tournament, although under different circumstances.
While the New Zealand Boxing Federation cleared its female boxers to compete after realizing her team was training hard for the Worlds, the Dutch boxer By Megan Clerer came to compete on her own as part of the IBA’s ‘Financial Support Programme’ (FSP) encouraging boxers from boycotting nations to compete in New Delhi.
Megan later told the media that she didn’t come to the event to make a political statement, but to compete with the best in the world. “I don’t know about the penalties, but if there are any, then we’ll see,” she said.
