Tokyo Olympics | Pooja Rani overpowers Ichrak in women’s 75kg pre-quarterfinal bout
The Indian will be assured of a medal if she beats China’s Li Qian in the quarterfinals
Asian champion Pooja Rani’s clinical performance helped her beat promising Algerian boxer Ichrak Chaib 5-0 in a women’s 75kg pre-quarterfinal bout at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday.
Pooja will take on Olympic bronze medallist and former World champion Li Qian of China, who got a bye in the first round, in the quarterfinals.
After Lovlina Borgohain, Pooja is the second Indian boxer to enter the last-eight stage of the Tokyo Games.
The experienced Bhiwani woman used her right jabs and the follow-up left punches well to stay ahead of the brave Algerian, who delivered some well-directed shots on her opponent.
The 30-year-old Pooja bobbed and weaved smartly to avoid Ichrak’s blows. She employed her right-left combinations, interspersed with double right-lefts, to get 5-0 verdicts in the first two rounds.
