Parveen Hooda holds her nerve to clinch Asian Games boxing gold in 3-2 thriller

Parveen Hooda completed a remarkable comeback by clinching the women's 65kg boxing gold at the Asian Games, beating Chinese Taipei's Chen Nien-Chen 3-2 in a split decision in a closely fought final.The Indian boxer had to dig deep in the deciding round after Chen levelled the contest following two rounds. Parveen held her nerve in a tense finish, relying on her counter-punching as the Chinese Taipei boxer pressed for the decisive blows.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule | Medal TallyThe victory adds another boxing gold for India on a day when Lovlina Borgohain also stood atop the podium.Parveen made a cautious start to the final, with both boxers initially keeping their distance. She found success with her counters before stepping in with combinations, including some effective body shots. The judges awarded her the opening round 5-0.Chen responded in the second round. Parveen continued to use her reach and movement to keep her opponent at bay, but Chen found her range with quick 1-2 combinations and landed enough clean punches to take the round 10-9 on all five cards.With the scores level heading into the final round, Chen came out aggressively and landed a couple of early jabs. Parveen weathered the pressure and began finding openings with quick combinations of her own.The Indian then switched to counter-punching as Chen pushed forward in the closing stages. The strategy proved enough to edge the contest, with Parveen winning the final by a 3-2 split decision.The gold marks a significant turnaround for Parveen, whose medal from the Hangzhou Asian Games was revoked following a doping violation. She had also exited the 2026 Commonwealth Games at the quarterfinal stage.Chen, a former world champion, came into the final as the 2026 Asian Championships gold medallist and had also won bronze at the previous Asian Games and the Paris Olympics.Lovlina ends India's 12-year waitEarlier on Friday, Lovlina Borgohain ended India's 12-year wait for an Asian Games women's boxing gold by defeating China's Ziyi Bao in the women's 75kg final.The Olympic bronze medallist secured a 5-0 unanimous decision to upgrade the silver medal she won at the previous edition, giving herself a gold medal on her birthday.Lovlina became only the second Indian woman after MC Mary Kom to win an Asian Games boxing gold. Mary Kom had claimed the 51kg title at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.