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Indian boxer Sakshi Chaudhary suffered a heartbreaking exit after going down 3-2 to Kazakhstans Balkibekova in the women's 51kg bout, while Parveen advanced to the quarterfinals after Tajikistans Malika Nozimova conceded a walkover in the ongoing Asian Games 2026 on Thursday in Aichi-Nagoya.
Balkibekova came out aggressively in the final round, forcing Sakshi onto the defensive. A sharp undercut caught Sakshi on the jaw as the Kazakh boxer looked to build on her early advantage. Sakshi responded by chasing Balkibekova around the ring and later landed a quick hook to her opponents face. Balkibekova, however, countered immediately with a crisp jab and continued to maintain her distance. The contest remained finely balanced until the final bell, with Balkibekova eventually securing a 3-2 split-decision victory. The defeat ended Sakshis campaign despite a spirited display, with the bout showcasing the quality of both boxers and remaining competitive until the final round. Meanwhile, Parveen progressed to the last eight without having to step into the ring after Nozimova gave a walkover. She will next face Uzbekistans Navbakhor Khamidova in the quarterfinal. Earlier, Indian boxer Sumit Kundu's men's 70 kg campaign at the ongoing Asian Games came to an end due to an injury, ending his run in the round-of-16 competition. The Indian boxer came out all guns blazing in the first round, throwing some big punches and using his superior height and weight against Iraq's Ali Al-Sarray really well to take the first round. He also took the second round 3-2, despite a fight from Ali. However, when the third round started, he started to hobble after slipping and lost the contest via 'Referee Stops Contest' due to a knee injury. (ANI)
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