Competing in the 52kg division, Asian Championships bronze medalist Nikhat Zareen has ensured India walks away with at least one medal at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul. By dominating her match and advancing to the semifinals, she maintained a winning streak that began earlier this year with a gold medal at the prestigious Strandja Memorial. Zareen's path to the semifinals was cleared after a commanding 5-0 win over England's Charley-Sian Davison.
Zareen entered her clash with Davison full of intensity, leading to a grueling physical encounter. The fight started as a fierce back-and-forth exchange in the first round, but the tide turned in the second. Zareen took complete control, utilizing punishing body shots to sap Davison's energy while consistently landing sharp, accurate punches.
With the final two rounds still to go, Zareen shifted her strategy to prioritize defense. Confident in her lead, she decided there was no need to risk unnecessary aggression in the closing minutes of the quarterfinal.
After her impressive victory, Zareen explained that she had to account for her opponent's height by focusing on blocking Davison's strong right hand. She expressed great pride in securing the first medal for India and shared her ambition to bring home a gold. Zareen credited her progress to a rigorous self-analysis of her past mistakes, noting that she has evolved both mentally and physically to become a more technical boxer.
Zareen stated that she had analyzed her performances and worked on the things which she was lacking. She has improved her game, both physically and mentally. Zareen ended up that she is more of a technical boxer now.
In the semifinals, the former junior world champion will face Brazil's Caroline De Almeida. Almeida enters the match with strong momentum after defeating 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Carly McNaul via a unanimous decision.
India's success continues with Manisha (57kg) and Parveen (63kg), both of whom have kept their hopes alive at the World Boxing Championships. Both athletes fought their way into the semifinals following some intense and exciting victories.
Manisha secured her spot after a tough quarterfinal battle against Mongolia's Namuun Monkhor, winning by a 4-1 split decision. Similarly, the young Parveen advanced after defeating Tajikistan's Shira Zulkaynarova with the same 4-1 margin.
Unfortunately, the day didn't go as planned for Nitu (48kg). Her tournament run came to an end in the quarterfinals with a narrow 2-3 split decision loss to Kazakhstan's Alua Balkibekova, the current Asian champion. The 21-year-old took a cautious approach early on, trying to lure her opponent in, but ultimately struggled to find her range and land significant hits.