Adeshina reaches boxing final at Islamic Games News

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Adeshina reaches boxing final at Islamic Games

By Daily Sports Nigeria on November 10, 2025

Nigeria’s Zainab Adeshina has booked her place in the final of the women’s 51kg boxing category at the ongoing Islamic Games in Saudi Arabia after a hard-fought victory over Algeria’s Fatiha Mansouri on Sunday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Competing at The Promenade – Art Tower venue, Adeshina triumphed 4–1 on points after three intense rounds, in a bout that showed her resilience under pressure.

The Nigerian, who represented the red corner, overturned a difficult start to secure the decision in her favour and reach Monday’s gold medal fight against Tunisia’s Rabia Topuz.

According to the official bout report, four of the five judges, representing Egypt, Iraq, Slovakia, and Australia, scored the fight in Adeshina’s favour, while only the Puerto Rican judge awarded the contest to Mansouri.

Despite losing the first two rounds on most scorecards, Adeshina mounted a strong comeback in the third round, landing several clean combinations that visibly unsettled her opponent.

The turnaround was compounded by Mansouri’s disciplinary issues, as the Algerian boxer received two warnings from referee Chang Yu-Ling of Taiwan, resulting in point deductions that ultimately swung the decision towards Adeshina.

Despite losing the first two rounds on most scorecards, Adeshina mounted a strong comeback in the third round, landing several clean combinations that visibly unsettled her opponent.

Judge 5 from Australia scored all three rounds 10–9 for the Nigerian, awarding her a clean 30–27 total, while the other judges returned closer tallies of 28–27 in her favour.

Adeshina’s performance in the closing round proved decisive, with the 21-year-old showing superior footwork and control to dominate the exchanges.

Her journey to the final began with a quarter-final victory on Thursday, followed by the semi-final triumph on Sunday evening.

Adeshina is part of a two-member Nigerian boxing contingent led by coach Abayomi Oyeleye, alongside Ridwan Raheem, who competes in the welterweight division.

The team arrived in Saudi Arabia last Monday ahead of the sixth edition of the Islamic Games, which runs from November 7 to 21.

Source Punch Ng

Posted November 10, 2025