Nishio, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian boxer Parveen advanced to the women’s 65kg quarterfinals at the Asian Games 2026 after receiving a walkover from Tajikistan’s Malika Nozimova in the round of 16 at the Nishio Gymnasium on Thursday.
Parveen, whose bronze medal from the Hangzhou Asian Games was later taken away, is now one victory away from securing a medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. She will face reigning world silver medallist Navbakhor Khamidova of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals for a place in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games champion Sakshi Chaudhary was knocked out of the Asian Games after losing 2-3 to reigning world champion Alua Balkibekova in the women’s 51kg pre-quarterfinals.
Sakshi put up a strong fight, but the bout was decided by a split verdict. Three judges scored it 30-27 in favour of Balkibekova, while two had Sakshi ahead, 30-27 and 29-28.
Another Indian boxer, Sumit, also suffered an unfortunate exit in the men’s 79kg round of 16. He won the opening two rounds and was leading the contest before sustaining an injury early in the third round. The referee subsequently stopped the bout. Sumit appeared unable to walk after the stoppage, with the injury seemingly involving his knee.
Parveen, a Haryana-born boxer, won the Asian Championship title in the 63kg category in 2022. She moved down to 57kg for the 2023 Asian Games, where she initially secured a bronze medal and an Olympic quota for India. However, both achievements were subsequently taken away after she received a WADA suspension for three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.
Parveen will now look to go all the way and secure a medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Sakshi, meanwhile, entered the Asian Games after winning gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. She had defeated Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aira Villegas by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the preliminary round at Nishio Gymnasium to reach the pre-quarterfinals.
Sakshi had also made a mark during India’s selection trials for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, defeating two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen in the semifinals and reigning world champion Minakshi Hooda in the final. Competing after moving down from 54kg, she beat Nikhat in the semifinals before overcoming 48kg champion Hooda in the final to secure her Commonwealth Games berth.
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