‘I want to win even if I am fighting with a broken hand,’ says Muhammad Ali fan Lovlina

Lovlina Borgohain said her superb performance against former World champion Nien-Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals was a result of her “fearless approach.”

Lovlina, who has ensured India’s second medal at the Tokyo Olympics by reaching the women’s 69kg semifinals on Friday, said she developed the attitude with the passage of time.

“When I began, I was not fearless. But when I gained confidence in my abilities, I did not care about what people were saying and started performing better,” said Lovlina at a virtual press conference.

“I started thinking that no matter the situation, I would give my best. I want to win even if I am fighting with a broken hand,” said the 23-year-old Assamese boxer, who will take on World champion Busenaz Surmeneli of Turkey in the semifinals on August 4.

Lovlina, a Muhammad Ali fan, said she tried to pick up some aspects of the legend’s game. “I regularly see his videos and saw one before this bout. Though no two boxers can be the same, I follow his footwork and long (distance) punches.

“Mary Kom is an inspiration too. I have seen her train hard. I have learnt a lot from her. It’s great to have her with us,” said Lovlina.

The lanky boxer said working with strength and conditioning coach Amey Kolekar proved to be beneficial. “While training with Amey sir, I made a lot of changes. Sports science helped me work on my strength, a problem area for me always. Working with him improved my game.