Tokyo: India enjoyed a strong day in the boxing ring at the Asian Games on Sunday as Parveen Hooda, Ankush Panghal and Narender Berwal advanced to the semifinals, guaranteeing themselves at least bronze medals.

Parveen moved into the women’s 65kg semifinals with an emphatic 5-0 win over Uzbekistan’s world championships silver medallist Navbakhor Khamidova.

It was Parveen’s first bout of the ongoing edition after receiving a walkover in the previous round, but the Haryana boxer showed no signs of rust as she controlled the contest with sharp combinations and effective counter-punching.

“I’m feeling very good. My coaches made a plan for how to fight. I managed the distance well and focused on counter-punching. That was our strategy for the bout,” Parveen said after the victory.

The medal marks an important moment in Parveen’s comeback. Her bronze medal from the previous Asian Games edition was taken away after the International Testing Agency suspended her for 22 months over a whereabouts failure.

Since returning from suspension late last year, Parveen has moved up from the 57kg category to 65kg. She was also among the three Indian boxers who missed out on a podium finish at last month’s Commonwealth Games.

“I’m getting my confidence back. Being away from your sport for so long makes you doubt yourself and wonder how you’ll perform in the future,” she said.

Narender Berwal also secured a medal in the men’s +90kg category after producing a dominant performance against Thailand’s Adthapong Saengtep.

Narender unleashed a series of heavy punches that forced the referee to give Saengtep three standing counts before stopping the contest in less than two minutes.

The result guarantees Narender another Asian Games medal after he won bronze in the previous edition.

Making his Asian Games debut, Ankush Panghal also booked his semifinal berth with a commanding 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Tajikistan’s Nekruz Salimov in the men’s 80kg quarterfinal.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist controlled the fight from the opening bell, using his reach and clean punching to keep Salimov under pressure.

Ankush won the first two rounds on all five judges’ cards, landing clean singles including a straight left and right hook while denying his opponent any sustained momentum.

He maintained control in the second round, picking his moments carefully and refusing to get drawn into unnecessary exchanges.

With a comfortable lead going into the final round, Ankush conserved energy while keeping Salimov at distance and comfortably closed out the contest.

“In the first two rounds I boxed at long range, and I had already won those two rounds. After that the opponent was just passing the time,” Ankush said.

“There was no difficulty at all. I am not satisfied with my performance. I have already secured a medal. But it doesn’t matter because I am looking ahead,” he added.

India, however, suffered a setback in the men’s 60kg category as Commonwealth Games champion Sachin Siwach lost 0-5 to Japan’s Shunsuke Kitamoto in the quarterfinals, bringing his Asian Games campaign to an end.

With three semifinal places secured on Sunday, India strengthened its medal tally in boxing as Parveen, Ankush and Narender kept their respective gold-medal campaigns alive.