Women’s World Boxing Championships: Nikhat, Lovlina to lead Indian challenge

All eyes on reigning World Champion to deliver gold

Hyderabad: Telangana boxer and the reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain will spearhead India’s challenge at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023 which will be held from March 15 to 26 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, New Delhi.

Zareen will defend her title in the 50kg category. She became the world champion in the 2022 IBA Women’s World Championships held in Istanbul.

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Tokyo bronze medallist, Borgohain (75kg) has two world championships bronze medals so far and will join several Olympic medallists from other countries in search of glory.

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nitu Ghanghas will also compete in the 48kg category. The two-time Youth World champion will look to add yet another major medal to her name.

“In the last few years, India have become a powerhouse of boxing and we intend to further cement our standing with this talented contingent for the IBA Women’s World Championships. It’s a line-up of champions and I am sure that they’ll bring glory to the country again,” said Ajay Singh, president of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).

Manisha Moun, who announced her arrival on the global stage with impressive performances at the 2018 World Championships in Delhi, will represent the country in the highly-competitive 57kg featherweight category. Manisha won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships.

The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria has been a quarter-finalist in the 2022 edition and will compete in the 60kg category.

Young pugilists Preeti and Sanamacha Chanu will represent India in the 54kg and 70kg category respectively. Preeti won bronze at the 2022 Asian Championships, while Sanamcha is the 2021 Youth world champion and recently became the national champion in her category.

The event will see a total prize pool of Rs 20 crore – Rs 10 crores being the pool for gold medallists. Boxers who finish runners-up in their categories as well as those who claim bronze will receive their prizes from pools of Rs 5 crores respectively.

India squad: Nitu Ghanghas (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (52kg), Preeti (54kg), Manisha Moun (57kg), Jaismine Lamboria (60kg), Shashi Chopra (63kg), Manju Bamboria (66kg), Sanamcha Chanu (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Saweety Boora (81kg) and Nupur Sheoran (81 kg).