Lovlina Borgohain beats Bao Ziyi to win women's 75kg boxing gold at Asian Games in Nishio

Lovlina Borgohain defeated China's Bao Ziyi by unanimous decision in the women's 75kg final at the Asian Games at Nishio Gymnasium on Friday, claiming gold on her 29th birthday. All five judges scored the bout for Borgohain, the combined scorecards reading 146-139.

Borgohain upgraded the silver she won at Hangzhou in 2022 to gold at the 2026 Games and became only the second Indian woman to win Asian Games boxing gold after Mary Kom, who won in 2014. Borgohain entered the tournament with a Tokyo Olympics bronze to her name, while Bao arrived as an Asian Elite Championships gold medallist.

Borgohain's route to the final included a come-from-behind semi-final against Kazakhstan's Natalya Bogdanova, in which she trailed after the first round before securing a 3-2 split decision to advance. That win set up the title bout with Bao in Nishio.

The opening round of the final was competitive, with Borgohain establishing a straight jab and landing clean punches as Bao worked inside with hooks. Three judges scored the round 10-9 for Borgohain and two for Bao, giving Borgohain a 48-47 lead on the overall scorecards after the first round.

Round 2 belonged more to Bao as she pushed forward with uppercuts; Borgohain responded with clinches and a late left hook. Four judges nevertheless awarded the round to Borgohain with a 49-46 tally, though the report noted the cards were closer than that margin suggested and that after a couple of rounds three judges had the fight level at 19-19.

The third round proved decisive: Borgohain evaded Bao's attacks and four judges again gave her the round, producing a 49-46 advantage on those cards and turning three previously level scorecards into 29-28 leads for Borgohain. Judge 1 gave that round to Bao but still placed Borgohain ahead overall; Judge 5 scored the bout 30-27. There were no warnings or knockdowns recorded in the final.

The victory registered as India's 12th gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, delivered on Day 14 of the tournament.