World Women’s Boxing Championships: Nikhat Zareen, Manisha and Parveen assure India of 3 medals

Indian boxers Nikhat Zareen, Manisha and Parveen continued their brilliant run to confirm three medals for the country at the 12th edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships by entering the semi-finals in Istanbul on Monday (May 16). Nikhat handed India first medal by clinching a dominating 5-0 win against England’s Charley-Sian Taylor Davison while Manisha got the better of Mongolia’s Namuun Monkhor in the hard-fought 57kg quarter-final by a 4-1 margin.

The 25-year-old boxer from Telangana once again showed her technical supremacy to hand the country its first medal at this year’s tournament with an impressive victory in the 52kg quarter-final. Nikhat’s aggressive intent and clean attack left no chance for Davison as the Indian looked in complete control throughout the bout.

Nikhat will now take on Caroline De Almeida of Brazil in the semi-finals. De Almeida thrashed the 2018 Commonwealth Games silver Ireland’s Carly McNaul of Ireland by unanimous decision. While Manisha will take on Italy’s Irma Testa, who defeated Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova in another quarter-final.

:@nikhat_zareen reacts after confirming 1st medal for at the #IBAWWC2022!

Watch now #PunchMeinHaiDum#Boxing pic.twitter.com/PwqSawUiLT — Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) May 16, 2022

Later Parveen also made her way into the 63kg semi-finals by thrashing Shoira Zulkaynarova of Tajikistan 5-0 and added third medal to India’s tally. Parveen will be up against Ireland’s Amy Broadhurst in the semi-final. However, it was heartbreak for the country’s four pugilists—Nitu (48kg), Pooja Rani (81kg), Anamika (50kg) and Jaismine (60kg), who suffered defeats in their respective Last-8 bouts.

Two-time Asian champion Pooja suffered a close 2-3 defeat against Australia’s Jessica Bagley while Nitu and Anamika too fell short of securing medals on her debut appearance at the World Championships after enduring 2-3 and 0-5 losses respectively against the reigning Asian Champion Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan and Rio Olympic bronze medallist Ingrit Valencia 0f Colombia.  Jaismine too went down fighting against the former World Championships bronze medallist Rashida Ellis of USA 1-4.

Semi-final matches will take place on Wednesday (May 18) while the finals will be played on Thursday (May 19) and Friday (May 20). In the last edition of the tournament, held in Russia in 2019, Indian boxers clinched one silver and three bronze medals. India have won 36 medals, including nine gold, eight silver and 19 bronze, in the 11 editions of the tournament so far—third highest after Russia (60) and China (50).