Two more enter finals, Indian boxers continue rampaging run

Indian boxers continued to remain an unstoppable force at the AIBA Women's Youth World Championships with two more advancing to the final to take the total number to an unprecedented five, here on Saturday.

Nitu (48kg) and Sakshi Chopra (54kg) won their respective semifinals to continue India's best ever performance at the marquee age group event being held for the first time in the country. "This has been an exceptionally good performance by all of my boxers. They have not just shown good technique but have also shown the big hearts they have to face fancied opponents," India's Italian coach Rafaelle Bergamasco told PTI. Nitu was the first to take the ring, against China's Yuan Nie. It was a battle of equals at least for the first two rounds with Nie proving quite a handful. What worked for Nitu was her deft right straights, which connected quite impactfully to make an impression on the judges. The second round was marred by excessive clinching by both the boxers but the final three minutes more than made up for it as an aggressive exchange of punches had the crowd on its feet. Nitu will next be up against Kazakhstan's Zhazira Urakbayeva, who got the better of Ireland's Caitlin Fryers in a fiercely-contested bout. Next girl in for India was Sakshi, taking on Japan's Irie Sena. The nimble-footed Sakshi had little trouble breaking through Sena's shell guard within a few seconds of the bout's start. Sakshi also stood out for her ring-craft, dodging her rival's feeble attacks with consummate ease. In fact, the pounding became too much for the Japanese, who threw in the towel in the second round to end her misery.