The Indian boxing team enjoyed a sweeping victory on the global stage, with all four semifinalists advancing to the gold medal fights scheduled for the weekend. Thursday's results saw Commonwealth gold medalist Nitu Ghanghas (48kg), defending world champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) charge into the IBA Women’s Boxing World Championships 2023 finals. Nitu's journey to the final was particularly challenging, as she faced Kazakhstan's Alua Balkibekova, the current Asian champion and last year's world silver medalist.
Indian boxers made it a perfect day on a big stage with all four semifinalists making it to the gold medal bouts scheduled to be held over the weekend. Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Nitu Ghanghas (48kg), defending World Champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) stormed into the finals of the IBA Women’s Boxing World Championships 2023 with stellar wins on Thursday. In the 48kg semifinal bout, Nitu faced a tough challenge in the form of reigning Asian champion and last year’s World Championships silver medalist Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan.
This match served as a high-stakes rematch of the previous year's World Championship quarterfinals, and both athletes started with an aggressive, high-energy approach in the opening round. Having lost to Balkibekova in Istanbul, Nitu came prepared, adjusting her tactics to launch a powerful offensive. She intentionally fought from a close distance to disrupt Balkibekova's preferred long-range style. Despite this, the experienced 27-year-old Kazakh fighter managed to edge out the first round with a 3-2 score.
Nitu stuck to her game plan throughout the final two rounds, finding her flow and landing a series of sharp hooks and jabs. Balkibekova remained resilient, however, making the fight a struggle by utilizing clinches and targeting the body. The closing three minutes were incredibly tense, marking the first time in this tournament that Nitu had to push a fight into the third round. Following a review of the match, the 22-year-old Indian emerged victorious in a nail-biter, winning 5-2 on points.
In another matchup, Nikhat faced off against Colombia's Ingrit Valencia, a Rio Olympics bronze medalist. Nikhat dominated the 50kg semifinal, earning a unanimous 5-0 decision. Although Valencia had secured a silver medal in this category last year and had improved her global ranking through Olympic participation, she couldn't overcome Nikhat, who had previously defeated her in the Big Bout Boxing League.
Lovlina, a two-time World bronze medalist, achieved a significant 4-1 victory over China's Li Qian, who took silver at the Tokyo Olympics. By defeating the 2018 World Champion in this high-stakes encounter, Lovlina secured her first-ever appearance in the championship's title bout.
Completing the Indian sweep was Saweety Boora (81kg), who survived a grueling semifinal against Australia's Emma-Sue Greentree. The decision was incredibly close and required a formal review, which ultimately handed Boora a 4-3 win.