Chen Nien-chin clinches second Asian Boxing Championship title

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) Olympic bronze medalist Chen Nien-chin (陳念琴) has won the women's 65-kilogram division at the 2026 Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championship in Mongolia, her second Asian Championship title.

Chen, who arrived in Ulaanbaatar as the top seed in her weight class, defeated Hwang Hyo Sun of North Korea by a 4-1 split decision. Chen and Hwang were tied after the first two rounds before Chen pulled ahead in the third and final round.

Chen's coach Ko Wen-ming (柯文明) told CNA it was his fighter's first Asian Championship title in the women's 65-kg division, which he said would "boost her confidence a lot."

Chen previously won the women's 70-kg division title at the 2022 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan, but that weight class is not included at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games later this year.

All five judges favored Hwang in the first round. Ko said North Korean boxers usually close in, so he told Chen to keep Hwang at a distance from the second round and focus on counterpunching.

"It seemed to be effective," Ko noted.

Ko said the tournament offered an early preview for the Asian Games, adding that it was a shame Chen did not face China's Li Shu (李舒).

Earlier the same day, Taiwan's three-time world champion Huang Hsiao-wen (黃筱雯) lost to India's Preeti by unanimous decision, earning her second runner-up finish at the Asian Championships.

The result saw Taiwanese boxers finish the tournament with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

The tournament, World Boxing's first regional championship, drew more than 230 athletes from 25 countries competing across 20 weight classes.