Aichi-Nagoya, 26 September (H.S.): Indian boxer Kapil Pokharia produced an impressive performance to advance to the quarter-finals of the men’s 90kg boxing event at the 2026 Asian Games. Pokharia defeated Iran’s Sam Estaki 5-0 in the Round of 16 on Saturday.

Pokharia started the bout in an aggressive yet controlled manner. Despite Estaki’s height advantage, the Iranian boxer struggled to cope with the Indian’s accurate punching and superior movement. Pokharia established a 4-1 lead in the opening round.

The Indian boxer continued to dominate in the second round, landing a series of effective punches, with the judges unanimously awarding him the round. Pokharia maintained his composure in the third round as well and gave Estaki no opportunity to make a comeback. He eventually secured a 5-0 unanimous decision victory.

Pokharia will face the winner of the bout between South Korea’s Gichae Kim and Pakistan’s Irfan Khan in the quarter-finals on September 28. Contemporary reporting also lists Irfan Khan and Gichae Kim as the scheduled opponents in the men’s 90kg category.

Earlier on Saturday, India’s Jadumani Singh suffered a 0-3 defeat to the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam in the Round of 16 of the men’s 55kg category. In a closely contested bout, Paalam established an early advantage and held on to it until the end to secure the victory.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar