Shiva Thapa (60kg) entered the pre-quarterfinals while six other Indians advanced to the last-8 stage in the Asian Boxing Championships. Thapa secured a thrilling 4-1 win over South Korea’s Kim Wonho and is now a couple of wins away from a medal.

Thapa can add to the gold, bronze and silver he won in the 2013, 2015 and 2017 editions, respectively. The Assam pugilist will next take on Kyrgyzstan’s Seitbek Uulu for a place in the quarterfinals on Sunday.

Lovlina Borgohain, also of Assam, outpunched Vietnam’s Tran Thi Linh 5-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. She is expected to face a stiff challenge from Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-Chin on Monday. Deepak continued his good form at the elite event with yet another commanding 5-0 win over Sri Lanka’s Mutunaka Pedi Gedara.

Rohit Tokas (64kg) displayed his speed and alertness in his 5-0 thrashing of Afghanistan’s Nooristani Mohammad Khaibar to enter the last-8. Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg) registered a 5-0 victory over Japan’s Subaru Murata. Ashish Kumar beat China’s Tanglatihan Tuohetaerbieke in a 3-2 split verdict in his pre-quarterfinal match.