Nikhat Zareen wins World Cup gold, plans Boxing Academy in Hyderabad

Nikhat Zareen clinched gold in the 51 kg category at the World Boxing Cup in Greater Noida and announced plans to set up a Boxing Academy in Hyderabad. The 29-year-old said the win is a confidence booster ahead of future championships

Hyderabad: Nikhat Zareen, who won the World Boxing Cup final gold in the 51 kg category at Greater Noida on Thursday, said she is keen to set up her own Boxing Academy in Hyderabad to avoid traveling for training and to help produce future champions.

“Yes, the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy sir promised to look into the issue. Hopefully, I will meet him soon in this regard,” Nikhat said after her spectacular show, adding to her two women’s World Championship titles.

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For someone who hails from the relatively lesser-known town of Nizamabad, Nikhat has silenced critics after an unimpressive run, including the disappointment at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Yes, you can say that I always believe in manifestations. And, since India was hosting the World Cup final, I thought let’s repeat that again. Winning in front of a home crowd gives you a totally different feeling,” the 29-year-old said.

“I just want to thank each and every one who supported Team India. Keep supporting us and we will produce the results,” she added.

On her Chinese Taipei opponent Guo Yi Xuan in the final, Nikhat said she avoided counter-boxing and her usual attacking style to prevent being at a disadvantage.

“I am really happy to win the final match. Definitely, this gold is a confidence booster. After a long time reaching the final, after the Asian Games this is my first international gold, and I feel really happy,” she said.

“The best part is that this gold means I am again a gold medal contender on the international stage. Hopefully, I will compete in many more events and win more medals for India,” she added.

Nikhat said the short preparation time was offset by sparring with boxers in different weight categories, including 57 kg, which benefitted her greatly.

“This is just the beginning, still a long journey ahead. The focus is now on the Senior Nationals and the Asian Championship in March where I want to do well again,” she said.

“Indians winning medals leads to expectations. For instance, after Meenakshi and Jasmine won gold in the Liverpool World Championships, they also experienced that. As you keep performing well, expectations increase,” Nikhat said.

“Yes, winning in the Olympics weight category is not easy. I was aware of the huge expectations from fans, but I am glad I have not let them down,” she signed off.