How Did Nikhat Zareen Start Her World Boxing Championships Journey?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Nikhat Zareen secured a 5-0 victory in her opening match.
- India has a 20-member team at the championships.
- Lovlina Borgohain and Hitesh Gulia faced defeats.
- Jaismine Lamboria won her bout with a 5-0 score.
- Indian boxers are aiming for success following strong showings in previous competitions.
Liverpool, Sep 6 (NationPress) India’s renowned boxer Nikhat Zareen marked her comeback on the global boxing scene with an impressive victory in the opening round of the women’s 51kg category at the World Boxing Championships held in Liverpool on Saturday.
The 29-year-old, a two-time world champion, had not participated in any international competitions this year, yet she displayed no signs of inactivity as she overwhelmed the USA’s Jennifer Lozano from the very first round, securing a commanding 5-0 decision.
Unfortunately, the day did not favor the other two Indian competitors who were in action on Saturday.
Lovlina Borgohain, a bronze medallist from the Tokyo Olympics, suffered a 0:5 defeat against Busra Isildar of Turkey in the second round of the women’s 75kg category. Meanwhile, Hitesh Gulia put up a brave fight but ultimately lost 1:4 to Finn Robert Bos from the Netherlands in the men’s 70kg contest.
India has dispatched a robust 20-member squad to the inaugural World Championships organized under the newly established World Boxing governing body, making a promising start in their campaign.
In the Friday evening session, Jaismine Lamboria, gold medallist at the World Boxing Cup Astana, triumphed over Daria-Olha Hutarina from Ukraine with a 5:0 score in the women’s 57kg bout. Similarly, Narender Berwal kicked off his men’s 90+kg campaign with a 4:1 victory against Martin McDonagh of Ireland.
Two additional boxers are set to compete in the evening session on Saturday, with Sachin (men’s 60kg) facing Jacob Cassar from Australia, and Sanju (women’s 60kg) going up against Aneta Rygielska of Poland.
Earlier on Friday, Narender won his bout with a 4:1 decision over Ireland's Martin Christopher McDonagh, while Sumit Kundu (men’s 75kg) and Neeraj Phogat (women’s 65kg) achieved contrasting victories to advance to the pre-quarterfinals in their respective categories, showcasing the strength of Indian boxers.
Sumit dominated his match against Jordan’s Mohammad Alhussien, securing a 5:0 win, while Neeraj fought hard to outlast Finland’s Krista Kovalainen with a narrow 3:2 victory.
India’s participation in the inaugural World Championships, held under the World Boxing banner, aims to build on their successful performances in the recent World Boxing Cup events in Brazil and Kazakhstan.