Ace India boxer Nikhat Zareen reached the final of Women’s World Boxing Championships final with a 5-0 win over Colombia’s Ingrit Valencia in the 50kg category on Thursday in New Delhi. It was a dominant show from the Indian pugilist as she stamped her authority over the Colombian star to assure a silver medal.
Reigning champion Nikhat used her speed and tactical acumen to see off Valencia and continue the defence of her title.
Nikhat joins the partyWins the bout 5️⃣-0️⃣ to enter the finals
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“Today’s bout was my best. I feel like I play better when I face technical boxers. I have played her before and she’s an experienced boxer. It was a clean game,” Nikhat said.
Two-time Asian champion Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam now stands in front of Nikhat and her second Worlds gold.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games champion Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) also advanced to the final with a 5-2 win over Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan on Thursday.
In the rematch of last year’s quarterfinals, Nitu and Balkibekova went all guns blazing in the first round. However, the Kazakh was more dominant and took the round 2-3.
In the second round, Nitu came out strongly, landing hooks and jabs.
Both boxers resorted to body blows and clinching with Nitu ending on top.
The final three minutes were a tense affair with Nitu getting the better of Balkibekova, forcing a bout review.
The final three minutes were a tense affair. It was the first time in the tournament that Nitu was playing the third round, and the closeness of the contest saw the bout go into a review.
“I played from a distance last time (in Istanbul), so I was not able to recover. This time I played from close range,” Nitu said after the bout.
“I had to play with my mind and adapt. I can see improvement in myself. Earlier I used to play a counter-attacking game from a distance but now I can adapt according to the situation.”
Nitu will now take on the Asian Championships bronze medallist Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg of Mongolia in the final on Saturday.
Later in the day, Lovlina Borgohain will take to the ring for a high profile clash against the 2018 World Champion and two-time Olympics medallist Li Qian of China in the semi-finals.
With Agency Inputs
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