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India’s boxing campaign continued to roll as Preeti Pawar dominated her semi-final match against Zambia’s Catherine Mwape in the women's 54kg category. Delivering a masterclass in counter-punching, the 22-year-old Asian Games bronze-medallist controlled the tempo from the opening bell, consistently punishing her opponent with sharp left straights. Her commanding performance earned her a unanimous 5-0 victory, making her the first Indian boxer to book a spot in the gold medal matches at this year's Commonwealth Games.
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Hailing from Bhiwani, Pawar now turns her attention to the final, where she will face Scarlett Delgado of Canada. Delgado secured her own place in the summit clash after overcoming England’s Lauren Mackie in a 4-1 decision, setting up an intriguing battle for the CWG title.
From the outset, Preeti Pawar completely neutralised her opponent, leaving Catherine Mwape unable to find her range or mount any effective offense. Every time the Zambian attempted to press forward, she was met with sharp, swift combination strikes from the Indian boxer. The sheer intensity of Preeti’s attacks forced the referee to issue three separate standing eight counts to Mwape within the opening two rounds alone.
Preeti’s absolute control over the ring was reflected on the scorecards, with all five judges scoring the second round a decisive 10-8 in her favor. Recognizing the fight had slipped away, Mwape spent the final three minutes largely in survival mode, attempting to evade further damage. With a spot in the gold-medal match against Delgado slated for August 1, Preeti cruised through the closing stage of the bout comfortably and without expending unnecessary energy.
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