MANCHESTER, Aug 1: India and Pakistan set up a potentially explosive all-Asian final in the Commonwealth Games boxing tournament here Thursday when both men comfortably came through their featherweight semifinals.

Som Bahadur Pun racked up a 15 point lead over outclassed Namibian Veikko Josua as the referee stopped the fight in the third round while Pakistan’s Haider Ali defeated Canada’s Benoit Gaudet 16-7 on points.

The 20-year-old Bahadur Pun is the reigning Indian national champion at light welterweight and was a quarter-finalist at the world junior championships earlier this year.

Haider Ali, the 22-year-old from Quetta, has had to fight through four rounds to reach Saturday’s final but he will able to call upon the experience of having fought in the Sydney Olympics and winning a bronze medal at the last Asian Games.

On Wednesday, Haider won his quarterfinal against Dennis Mwanje of Uganda, also on points.

In the super-heavyweight division, England’s David Dolan kept alive his dream of following in the footsteps of countryman Audley Harrison, who won the title at the last Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, when his semifinal against Welshman Kevin Evans was stopped.

Despite being ahead 7-2 on points, the fight was halted by the referee when Evans, a heavyweight bronze medallist four years ago, sustained a bloodied nose early in the first round.

In the final, Dolan will take on Canada’s David Cadieux who defeated Gozie Dijeh of Nigeria 33-19 on points after forcing two mandatory counts.

With the second session of semifinals was scheduled to take place later Thursday, Africa can already look forward to having five fighters in the finals.

Light-heavyweight Jegbefumere Bone Albert of Nigeria, who beat 1998 gold medallist Courtney Fry of England in the quarterfinals, continued his successful run with a points win over South Africa’s Daniel Venter.

He will now face Joseph Lubega of Uganda while Lechedzani Luza of Botswana faces Zambia’s Kennedy Kanyanta in the flyweight decider, while Mohammed Kayongo of Uganda takes on Darren Barker in the light-welterweight.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS: