Lovlina Borgohain disqualified for clinching as Nikhat Zareen, Sakshi Chaudhary progress

Sofia, February 5

Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) suffered a shock loss by disqualification to Ireland’s Aoife O’Rourke in the opening round of the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament today.

The referee disqualified Borgohain one minute into the third round after the reigning world champion received her third warning for excessive grappling.

The 26-year-old Borgohain, who has already qualified for the Paris Olympics, won the first two rounds 3-2 but had a point deducted in each of the rounds, which left her trailing with three minutes to go.

With Aoife employing an aggressive approach, Borgohain failed to connect punches. She continuously resorted to clinching, leading to her disqualification.

Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg) and Sakshi Chaudhary (57kg) began their campaign with contrasting wins. Paris-qualified Nikhat eked out a narrow 3-2 win over Mongolia’s Oyuntsetseg Yesugen.

Both the boxers came with an attacking intent as they delivered powerful blows at every opportunity. Sakshi, on the other hand, outclassed Selmouni Chahira of Algeria with her surprise attacks.