Sakshi Chaudhary Stuns Paris Olympic Medallist, Storms Into Asian Games Pre-Quarterfinals

Indian boxer Sakshi Chaudhary produced a commanding performance at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Tuesday, defeating Paris Olympics bronze-medallist Aira Villegas of the Philippines 5-0 to advance to the women's 51kg pre-quarterfinals.

The 26-year-old from Bhiwani made excellent use of her height and reach throughout the round-of-32 contest. Both boxers were cautious early on, but Sakshi soon established control with a sharp jab, keeping the Filipino southpaw at a distance and dictating the pace of the opening round.

Sakshi raised the intensity in the second round. She began finding her range more consistently and unleashed a series of combinations, forcing Villegas to constantly move and struggle with the Indian's speed and movement.

Villegas attempted to fight back in the final round, landing a few solid left hooks on the counter before stepping up her attack. However, Sakshi remained composed and continued to control the exchanges.

Her early dominance proved decisive as all five judges scored every round 10-9 in her favour, handing the Indian a comprehensive unanimous victory.

The win adds another significant chapter to Sakshi's impressive rise in the 51kg division.

Sakshi moved down from 54kg in May and immediately made her presence felt by defeating two-time world champion and previous Asian Games bronze-medallist Nikhat Zareen in the selection trials.

She subsequently carried that momentum into the Commonwealth Games, where she claimed the gold medal last month.

Her journey to the Asian Games has been built on a series of major victories. Before the Commonwealth Games, Sakshi had already navigated a highly competitive domestic field, beating both Nikhat and Minakshi to earn her place in the Indian team.

At the Commonwealth Games, she maintained her unbeaten run, winning each of her bouts by unanimous decision and finishing her campaign with a landmark victory that brought an end to one of the longest active winning streaks in boxing.

A former junior and youth world champion, Sakshi has now carried that confidence onto the Asian Games stage. Her emphatic victory over an Olympic medallist underlines her growing stature in the 51kg category and keeps her medal campaign firmly on track.

Later on Tuesday, Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Jadumani Singh will begin his Asian Games campaign in the men's 55kg category. He is set to face Nepal's Chandra Bahadur Thapa.