In what was a major blow for Indian boxing, Lovlina Borgohain’s ongoing World Championships journey lasted just nine minutes inside the ring as she suffered a crushing defeat against Busra Isildar of Turkey in the Round of 16 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on Saturday. Nikhat Zareen, on the other hand, breezed past her first-round opponent from the USA to stay in contention.
After getting a bye in the opening round, Lovlina, the Tokyo Olympic medallist, was taking part in her first bout of the marquee event on the day. Up against a rival, four years younger than her, Lovlina (75kg) was tested from the onset as it was Busra who was the aggressor in the opening seconds, landing some telling punches. Lovlina did fight back but what followed was mostly a scrappy affair. The duo traded blows and was also involved in clinching in the remainder of the opening essay. Four judges voted for the Turkish boxer while Lovlina found herself trailing with a single vote after the end of the round.
At the sound of the bell, it was Lovlina who threw a combination of punches but Busra stood firm to return the favour. As Lovlina searched for an opening, the Turkish boxer continued to keep the Indian on her toes with some strong counter punches. Despite Lovlina’s spirited efforts, she was still behind after the second round. But it was still an open contest.
Lovlina did well to land a couple of jabs in the opening minute or so but Busra responded with a couple of stinging punches in the mid stages. Despite that, Lovlina continued to push forward. But she visibly seemed tired and her punches seemed to be lacking that bite. At the end of what was largely a cagey affair, the referee raised Busra’s hand, indicating her win.
Earlier, Nikhat, also making her first appearance in this meet, eased into the Round of 16 with a comprehensive performance against USA’s Jennifer Lozano in the women’s 51 kg category. She could potentially go on to meet Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey in the quarterfinals. Cakiroglu is a double Olympic medallist and has a 1-1 head-to-head record against the Indian, who’s a double gold winner in this competition.
Both Nikhat and Lovlina were taking part in an international competition for the first time since 2024 Paris Olympics. In the men’s corner, Hitesh Gulia (70kg) also exited as he lost by split decision (4-1) against Netherland’s Robert Finn Bos in the Round of 32.
