HANGZHOU: World Championships' bronze medallist boxer Parveen Hooda on Sunday assured India of a medal here at the Asian Games and grabbed a Paris Olympic quota by moving into the 57kg semifinals.
Parveen, who won the bronze medal in the 63kg at the 2022 World Boxing Championships, moved passed Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova by unanimous verdict.
The reigning Asian champion was in her element from the word go, using her long arms to throw punches from a distance and control proceedings.
She switched between the left jab and the right cross to unnerve the 21-year-old Uzbek.
Parveen fought a strategic bout as after going on the offensive in the opening round, she waited for Turdibekova to come forward, only to pummel her with accurate scoring punches.
Turdibekova did make a strong comeback by landing several blows on Parveen, but it wasn't enough to convince the judges to rule the bout in favour of the Indian.
The two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg ) and Narender Berwal (+92kg) have already secured Olympic quotas in their respective categories.
In women's events, the semifinalists in the 50kg, 54kg, 57kg, and 60kg as well as the finalists in the 66kg and 75kg will qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The gold and silver medallists in each of the seven weight divisions in the men's event will receive Olympic quotas.
