Nikhat Zareen begins Asian Games campaign with dominant win; Preeti Pawar cruises to QFs
Zareen stamped her authority in the women's 50kg by registering a dominant 5-0 win over Vietnam's Thi Tam Nguyen while Preeti Pawar (54kg) moved to the quarterfinals of the Asian Games here on Sunday. In a rematch of March's world championship final, Zareen once again defeated two-time Asian Champion Nguyen by unanimous decision to move to the pre-quarters.
Putting up a dominating show, talented Indian boxer Preeti notched up a an RSC win over Jordan's Silina Alhasanat.
One of only four boxers to not get a first round bye in the 50kg event despite being the reigning world champion, Zareen controlled the proceedings from the word go.
In the opening two rounds Zareen landed accurate punches, rattling her opponent.
Such was her power that the referee was forced to give Nguyen the eight count twice in 30 seconds in the opening round.
Nguyen tried to attack in the second round but Zareen retaliated with strong combination punches, forcing a third eight count upon the Vietnamese boxer.
With her work done, Zareen conserved energy in the final three minutes, defending beautifully with the help of her nimble footwork.
Zareen will face Chorong Bak of South Korea in the Round of 16 while a tough bout awaits Preeti.
