Indian women boxers failed to secure a single Olympic quota berth at the AIBA World Championships after Pooja Rani (75kg) bowed out of the event with a second-round defeat even as three of her compatriots advanced to the quarterfinals of the non-Olympic categories, on Sunday.
Pooja, faced with 2012 world champion Savannah Marshall of Britain, went down 0-3 in a lopsided contest to end India's quest for Rio berths in the event.
Earlier, five-time champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) and l Sarita Devi (60kg) had also exited after losing in the second round of an event where 12 slots in three Olympic categories are up for grabs. Women boxers made their Olympic debut in the 2012 london Games where India's sole representative Mary Kom had won a bronze medal.
However, in the non-Olympic categories, Nikhat Zareen (54kg), Sonia lather (57kg) and Saweety (81kg) advanced to the quarterfinals with contrasting victories.
Zareen was the first to take the ring on Sunday against Canada's Erica Adeji. The former junior world champion Indian was in her elements from the beginning itself and was hardly stretched before notching up a 3-0 victory.
However, the day ended on a disappointing note for India when Pooja was knocked out of the event. The Asian Games bronze-medallist was hardly a match for Marshall, who back-paddled smoothly and attacked at will.
Pooja, on the other hand, was lax in counter-attack and struggled to connect powerfully against a swift-moving Marshall.