Nishoi, September 30 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian boxer Lovlina Borgohain advanced to the women’s 75kg final at the Asian Games 2026 after defeating Kazakhstan’s Natalya Bogdanova in a closely contested semifinal, while Kapil Pokhariya secured a bronze medal after losing his men’s 90kg last-four bout to Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev on Wednesday.
Lovlina prevailed 3-2 on a split decision after recovering from a narrow deficit in the opening round. She will now face China’s Bao Ziyi in the final, with the gold medal at stake.
The semifinal began cautiously, with both boxers avoiding heavy exchanges. Bogdanova gradually stepped up her attacks, while Lovlina focused on countering her opponent rather than engaging in prolonged exchanges. The Kazakh boxer edged the opening round 3-2 on the judges’ scorecards.
Lovlina responded strongly in the second round, opening with a clean left hook and becoming increasingly assertive. Both boxers landed punches as the exchanges opened up, but Lovlina’s sharper combinations and greater initiative impressed the judges. She took the round 5-0 to move ahead heading into the final three minutes.
Bogdanova increased the pressure in the final round, knowing she needed a strong finish. A left hook briefly tested Lovlina, who responded with a counter. The Indian maintained her defensive discipline, carefully choosing her moments and limiting her opponent’s clean connections.
Despite Bogdanova’s continued efforts until the final bell, Lovlina held on to her advantage to secure a 3-2 split-decision victory and book her place in the final.
The win gives Lovlina another opportunity to claim the Asian Games title after she settled for silver at the previous edition. She also enters the final as a reigning Commonwealth Games silver medallist, having won silver in the 75kg category in Glasgow earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Kapil Pokhariya’s campaign in the men’s 90kg category ended in the semifinals, where he suffered a 1-4 defeat to reigning world champion Turabek Khabibullaev of Uzbekistan.
Kapil made a promising start, landing effective combinations in the opening round. However, Khabibullaev’s speed, physicality and accuracy gradually shifted the contest in his favour. The Uzbek boxer secured the opening round unanimously, leaving Kapil with ground to make up.
The Indian continued to search for openings in the second round and landed several punches, but Khabibullaev responded with a strong left hook and controlled much of the exchanges. The judges awarded the round 4-1 to the Uzbek, putting Kapil under pressure heading into the final round.
Kapil continued to attack and attempted to increase the pace, but Khabibullaev remained the more effective boxer. The Uzbek eventually secured a 4-1 split-decision victory to advance to the final, while Kapil took home the bronze medal.
Khabibullaev entered the semifinal as the reigning world champion. He had also won bronze at the previous Asian Games, though in the 80kg category.
With Kapil’s defeat, India’s boxing action for the day came to an end. Three Indian boxers — Parveen Hooda, Lovlina Borgohain and Ankush Panghal — are scheduled to compete for gold on October 2.
Kapil joins Priya Ghanghas and Narender among the Indian boxers who have secured bronze medals at the 2026 Asian Games.
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