Ashish Ranjan
World Boxing Championships 2023: Nikhat Zareen earned her second gold medal at the Women’s World Boxing Championships on March 26. The 26-year-old defended her title at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi with a unanimous decision (5-0) victory over Thi Tham Nguyen of Vietnam in the 50kg final.
Nikhat was unfazed by Thi Tham Nguyen, a two-time Asian gold medallist who made history in New Delhi by becoming her country’s first female boxer to reach the world championship final. After a dominant start by Nikhat, Nikhat and Thi Tham engaged in a head-to-head struggle.
Nikhat held off Thi Tham’s second-round revival to win the final by unanimous decision (5-0) and claim the Gold medal for the second consecutive year.
Consecutive World Championships 🥇 medal for Nikhat Zareen 🇮🇳 😍🔥
Nikhat wins the bout 5️⃣-0️⃣ 🔥💪@AjaySingh_SG l @debojo_m#itshertime #WorldChampionships #WWCHDelhi @Media_SAI @anandmahindra @IBA_Boxing @Mahindra_Auto @saweetyboora @MahindraRise @NehaAnandBrahma pic.twitter.com/IIi22RFjTZ
— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) March 26, 2023
Nikhat is the second Indian woman after Mary Kom to earn multiple gold medals at the IBA Women’s World Championships. Mary, who earned the bronze medal at the London Olympics, has made history by winning six World Championships gold medals, with her most recent coming in 2018 in New Delhi.
This was India’s third gold medal at the World Championships held in its own country. Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) and Saweety Boora (81kg) won gold medals in their respective weight classes on Saturday, bringing delight to the home crowd.
NIKHAT STEPS UP IN BIG FINAL
Nikhat, who won Gold in the women’s 52kg division at last year’s Istanbul Games, dominated the opening round by landing punches and avoiding assaults. She won the first round unanimously by a score of 5-0.
On the final day of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, Thi Tham gave Nikhat a tough fight in the second round, much to the delight of the crowd that had gathered to witness high-octane bouts. The Vietnamese boxer won the second round by a score of 3 to 2.
In the winner-take-all final round, both boxers raised the ante. Nikhat was more combative than he had been in the past, willing to challenge the Vietnamese boxer. The home audience cheered when Thi Tham’s number was called. However, Thi Tham opted for a counterattack at the conclusion of the third round by giving Nikhat a countdown.
The KD Jadhav Indoor Hall was tense as both boxers returned to the center of the ring for the results. In the end, Nikhat won the gold medal with a unanimous 5-0 victory by points.
In the past year, Nikhat Zareen’s rise on the Indian boxing landscape has been astounding. The 26-year-old, who had to emerge from Mary Kom’s shadow, claimed her first World Championships title in Istanbul in 2022, becoming only the fifth Indian woman to triumph at the global competition.
Also Read | India’s Nitu Ghanghas wins gold in Women’s Boxing World Championship 2023
In 2022, Nikhat also won the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament, announcing her entrance on the grandest stage. The fact that the boxer from Hyderabad won a gold medal for India at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year was not unexpected.
