Nikhat, Lovlina to headline elite women’s boxing tournament in Hyderabad

Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, and over 100 boxers will compete at the Elite Women’s Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad, eyeing a place in the national camp and future international representation

Hyderabad: Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, and former world youth champion Ankushita Boro will be among the top Indian women pugilists battling it out for glory and a spot in the national camp at the Elite Women’s Boxing Tournament, to be played at the Saroornagar Indoor Stadium here from June 27 to July 1.

The tournament will feature boxers from 15 units, including the top 12 teams from the 8th Elite Women’s Nationals—Railways, Haryana, All India Police, Services, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Sikkim—alongside host Telangana, the Combined SAI National Centre of Excellence team, and the TOPS Core & Development squad.

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Notable names in the fray include world championships bronze medallist Manisha Moun, Olympian Preeti, world youth champion Arundhati Chaudhary, and more than 100 other top contenders. The pugilists will compete across ten weight categories. Gold and silver medallists in each will get the opportunity to join the elite national camp in Patiala.

“This Elite Women’s National Boxing Tournament is designed to strengthen the competitive structure of Indian boxing. It provides our top athletes competitive exposure and also gives a platform for young boxers to challenge the experienced boxers, learn from them, and advance towards high-performance training being provided at the national camps,” Boxing Federation of India president and chairman interim committee Ajay Singh said.

“This tournament is not just a pathway into the elite national camp, it is also a way to build bench strength and discover new talent. We are confident that the new domestic structure will empower Indian boxing and help maintain its momentum on the global stage,” the BFI chief said.

All teams can field a maximum of 10 boxers, provided they are born between January 1, 1985 and December 31, 2006. The championships will be conducted as per the World Boxing Technical & Competitions Rules, wherein each bout will consist of three rounds of three minutes each, with a minute’s rest in between. A ten-points-must scoring system shall be followed, while the review system will not be used.