Nikhat Zareen set for World Boxing Cup finals in Greater Noida

Nikhat Zareen, two-time world champion, is ready for the World Boxing Cup finals in Greater Noida after a 45-day camp in Patiala. Determined to revive her season, she eyes gold while preparing for LA 2028 Olympics

Hyderabad: Buoyed by a 45-day national camp at the Sports Authority of India’s Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen is all set for the upcoming World Boxing Cup finals, to be held from November 14 to 21 at Greater Noida’s Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.

Nikhat is part of a 20-member Indian contingent — 10 men and 10 women — that trained from October 1 to November 14 at SAI NSNIS Patiala for the World Boxing Cup.

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Nikhat, who lost in the 51kg quarterfinals of the World Championships in Liverpool recently, is determined to revive her season with a first international medal in the World Boxing Cup finals. In Liverpool, she lost 5-0 to two-time Olympic silver medallist Buse Naz Çakıroğlu of Turkiye.

“Boxing World Championships in Liverpool was my first international competition after a one-year sabbatical. It was a great lesson as I lost to a two-time Olympic medallist in the quarters. So, my current focus is the Boxing World Cup finals and I aim to win gold and start my comeback from there this season,” said Nikhat in a chat with SAI Media in Patiala on Wednesday.

“India is hosting the World Boxing Cup finals in Greater Noida, so I am very excited to participate in it. After the 2023 World Championships, I am going to compete in India for the first time, so competing in front of the home crowd is a different experience altogether. As there are a lot of expectations from Indian fans, I want to give it my best to bring a smile on their faces,” Nikhat said.

For Hyderabad-based Nikhat, it’s going to be a fresh start. “Paris Olympics was a great experience for me, unfortunately I couldn’t bring a medal back home. But after that I decided that whatever happens, happens for a reason. I have moved on. My main focus is now LA 2028 Olympics but there are a lot of competitions in my way till I reach there.”

Nikhat also informed that she has to reduce her weight from 51kg to 50kg in the flyweight group as per the new categories announced by World Boxing.

“In my case I have to change my body weight as the new categories will be part of the next Olympic Games. Pressure is always there whether it involves change of training strategy, tactics or having food and sleeping on time. There is also pressure as to how our bodies execute the strategy planned before a particular bout. All the strategy gets wiped out from the mind once you enter the boxing ring. So, I only keep my focus on winning the bout when the referee blows the whistle.”

On whether the competition is stiffer in lower weight categories compared to higher classes, Nikhat replied: “The competition is tougher in lower weight categories as the number of competitors is higher vis-à-vis quality. The boxers are faster and more powerful in lower body weight. In heavyweight classes, the boxers are powerful but lack speed. So, it’s a deadly combination, competing against such boxers is a bit tough.”

LA 2028 is still two years away, but the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist has already started planning for her maiden Olympic medal.