India’s Jaismine Lamboriya stormed into the final of the Boxing World Championships with a unanimous decision win in the 57kg semifinal against Venezuela’s Omailyn Alcala Cegovia. The 24-year-old will now compete for the gold medal against Poland’s Julia Szeremeta, the Paris Olympics silver medallist.

 

In a tournament where Indian boxers in Olympic weight divisions have largely struggled, Jaismine has stood out with her dominant run. Her progress has been helped not only by her height and reach — key advantages in her category — but also by the strong aura and presence she brings inside the ring.

 

Against the shorter and slower Venezuelan opponent, Jaismine displayed the full range of her abilities. She combined sharp pressure tactics with fast, precise punches delivered from safe distances, a sign of her growth since her early exit at the Paris Olympics. Her crisp combinations kept Alcala Cegovia on the back foot, forcing her to target the Indian’s body, but without much success.

 

The only phase where Jaismine looked slightly troubled came in the second round. Alcala tried to step inside and throw combinations, an approach that highlighted an area Jaismine is still developing — handling successive waves of attack. Though her movement out of close-range situations remains a work in progress, she managed to absorb the pressure, and four of the five judges still awarded her the round.

 

In the final round, Jaismine was firmly in control. She started aggressively to remind her opponent who was dictating terms and then smartly managed the clock, knowing the scorecards were in her favor. By doing so, she ensured her maiden World Championships medal will be at least silver, with the chance to turn it into gold.