Asian Games 2026: Sakshi Chaudhary beats Olympic bronze medallist 5-0 on debut
Boxer Sakshi Chaudhary opened her Asian Games campaign with a 5-0 win over Paris Olympics bronze medallist Ira Villegas of the Philippines.
India's boxing contingent at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan has more good news. Boxer Sakshi Chaudhary made a strong start, winning her debut bout. In the match held on Tuesday, Sakshi faced Ira Villegas of the Philippines, who has won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. Sakshi handed her experienced opponent a one-sided 5-0 defeat and sealed her place in the pre-quarterfinals.
The bout was held at the Nishio Gymnasium. From the start, Sakshi showed aggressive and balanced boxing to keep control of the contest. She kept up constant pressure on Villegas with accurate punches. Sakshi never let Villegas find her rhythm and dominated all three rounds.
On the scorecards, Sakshi won all three rounds of the bout by a 10-9 margin. Her quick movement, accurate punches and strong defence meant Villegas got few chances to attack. At the end of the bout, all three judges ruled in Sakshi's favour, giving her a one-sided 5-0 win.
Sakshi faced the challenge of the experienced Ira Villegas, a Paris Olympics bronze medallist, meaning her very first bout was not against an easy opponent. Despite this, brushing aside the pressure of the big stage, Sakshi showed full confidence and qualified for the next round.
India has performed well across several sports since the start of the Asian Games 2026, and Sakshi's win has strengthened the country's hopes in boxing as well. With this win in the women's 51 kilogram category, Sakshi has made a strong start to her campaign.
