Female boxers Sunday assured India of at least three Asian Games medals as Olympic bronze medallist M.C. Mary Kom, former World Champion L. Sarita Devi and Pooja Rani won their quarter-final bouts to advance to the last four stage at the Seonhak Gymnasium here.All the three semi-finals are slated for Tuesday and the losers will get the bronze medal.Mary Kom reached semi-finals of the women's fly weight (48-51kg) category, beating Si Haijuan of China 3-0 by an unanimous judges' decision. The Chinese fighter gave the 31-year-old Indian a stiff fight but the five-time world champion showed her class and made her punches count. All three judges gave a 39-37 inpidual scoreline after three rounds in favour of Mary Kom, who will now take on Vietnam's Le Thi Bang in the semi-finals Tuesday.
Later in the day, Sarita Devi outboxed Mongolia's Suvd Erdene Oyungerel 3-0, won by a unanimous judges' decision, in the light-weight (57-60kg) quarter-final. She received a favourable 39-37, 40-36, 40-36 judgement from the three judges to confirm a medal. Sarita Devi will face South Korea's Jina Park in the semi-finals.In the middle weight (69-75kg) quarter-final, Pooja beat Chinese Taipei's Flore Dara Shen 3-0 again by an unanimous judges' verdict. All three judges voted for the Indian, scoring 40-36, 40-36, 39-37 to set up a last-four meeting with China's Li Qian.
In the men's light fly weight (46-49kg) pision, L. Devendro Singh advanced to the last eight stage, beating Lasavongsy Bounphone of Laos by a technical knockout in his round of 16 match.Devendro started the match in an aggressive form and outpunched his opponent to such an extent that the referee had to stop the fight after one minute 27 seconds of round one. Devendro will square off against South Korea's Shin Jonghun in his last-eight match Tuesday.