Thai Boxers Claim Bronze As Focus Advances at Asian Games

At the 2026 Asian Games boxing quarterfinals on September 27 in Nishi, Japan, four Thai fighters stepped into the ring. In the women's 54 kg division, Focus Natnicha Chongprong faced Nikina Ugtamova of Uzbekistan.

In the opening round, Focus landed precise left-hand blocks and counters while her Uzbek opponent tried to close distance and brawl inside. Focus dominated the round, leading 3-2 on the cards. In the second round, the Uzbek fighter moved faster and pressed her attacks, but Focus maintained excellent timing and defensive counters, extending her lead to 3 rounds with 1 draw and 1 loss on the judges' cards. In the final round, Focus retreated with defensive counters but received a warning and points deduction, energizing her opponent. The judges raised Focus's hand in a thrilling 3-2 split-decision victory, advancing her to the semifinal against the host nation's fighter on September 29 and securing a bronze medal.

Natnicha said she felt anxious before the bout because it was for a bronze medal and put pressure on herself. She controlled the first round and performed well, initially thinking she had won outright. She acknowledged the Uzbek boxer was very strong and aggressive inside, forcing her coach to adjust the game plan to focus on outside fighting. She expects the next opponent, the host nation's boxer, will be easier to fight than the Uzbek, but she won't be careless.

In the women's 65 kg division, Bee Chanthaem Suwannapheng faced Chen Nianxin of Chinese Taipei. Both had trained together at a camp in Thailand. Throughout all three rounds, the Thai fighter could not match the Taiwanese boxer's speed and lost all rounds decisively, 0-5.

After the bout, Chanthaem said that after recovering from injury, she did not have enough time to reach peak fitness. If she wants to return as a winner, she will need to train much harder because she knows her punching power and strength were insufficient. She is not discouraged and will return to win. "When I can't fight well, I have to accept it, but I definitely won't give up."

In the men's 60 kg division, Sakda Ruamtham faced Zhang Donghuan of South Korea. In rounds one and two, the Thai fighter blocked punches and countered more effectively, building a lead. In round three, the South Korean fighter pressed aggressive attacks and landed cleaner shots, especially late in the round, to win back 3-2. After the bout, Sakda said he was confident of victory after two rounds and admitted he relaxed and threw fewer punches to the target. He felt disappointed and regretful but gained valuable experience from this competition to improve in the future.

In the men's super heavyweight division, Atthapong Saengthep was defeated by Narendra of India in the opening round only.