BIRMINGHAM: Nikhat Zareen not only won a gold for India on Sunday, but also showed what a sport she is.
Right after dominating Northern Ireland's Carly McNaul in the 50kg women's light flyweight final for a 5-0 unanimous verdict in her favour, Nikhat said, "Women's boxing is growing in India since Mary didi (Mary Kom) won a medal at the Olympics (London 2012). She has been a great inspiration for every boxer in India. I have always looked up to her and she has inspired me in so many ways. I want to enjoy this gold medal now, but Mary didi has set the path for all of us to follow."
Nikhat's effusive praise of Mary Kom was a far cry from late 2019, when Nikhat was embroiled in a battle with the senior, more lauded boxer, both inside and outside the ring. There was clearly some bad blood between the two but Nikhat, the world champion, has buried those skeletons. It has been a fresh start for her in this new Olympic cycle.
At the boxing hall in the National Exhibition Centre here, Nikhat fought like the champion she is. Both boxers started the fight on a cautious note, but Nikhat managed to land the first blow when she hit McNaul with a left-hand hook. She maintained her dominance throughout the first round and got a unanimous verdict by the judges.
In the second round, McNaul started aggressively as she tried to play catch-up. Nikhat landed a couple of jabs in the early minutes, but not without facing a few hits herself. But with 50 seconds to go, the Indian got a couple of counter punches in her favour and was able to see out the round. Going into the final round, Nikhat had the clear advantage.
McNaul, in the third round, appeared desperate and decided to have another go at Nikhat. But that did not have much of an affect. Aware of the fact that she was ahead after the first two rounds, Nikhat controlled the pace and tired out her opponent with clever dodges and sways. As the final bell rang, she raised her hands in victory, knowing fully that the gold medal was hers. She went down on her knees and said a prayer before doing a 'namaste' to the crowd in all four directions.
Earlier in the year, she had won the World Championships gold. "It feels great to be a Commonwealth champion, especially after becoming a world champion," she said afterwards.
Panghal betters 2018 silver
Amit Panghal came out all guns blazing in the men's 51kg flyweight final against Englishman Kiaran MacDonald. It was unlike the diminutive boxer, who prefers to bide his time, assess his opponent, weave and duck initially and then goes for the jugular in the second and third rounds.
It was different on Sunday. "It was a strategy on my part. He (MacDonald) was a local boxer and I couldn't have given him any kind of advantage at the start. You never know, with the crowd cheering for him, the judges tend to have a soft corner for home boxers. So, I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I desperately wanted the gold medal after all that happened at the Tokyo Olympics, and didn't want to give my opponent even a sniff," Panghal told TOI after winning the gold-medal clash 5-0 by a unanimous decision against MacDonald.
Panghal bettered his silver from the last edition. This is his seventh major medal (a World Championships silver; an Asian Games gold; a gold and a silver in CWG; a gold, a silver, and a bronze each at the Asian Championships).
"I was devastated when I lost four years ago, so this (gold) makes me very happy. I got my tactics just right in the final. He was taller than me and I had to be more aggressive and get inside his arms. That worked," he said.
Such was Panghal's dominance that MacDonald started bleeding in the final round after getting a nasty cut.
Nitu gets India's third gold in boxing
Nitu Ghanghas, a two-time youth world championships gold-medallist, lorded the ring in her women's 48kg final against 2019 world championships bronze winner Demie-Jade Resztan of England. Nitu won 5-0 by a unanimous verdict to pocket the gold, her first medal at a marquee international competition at the senior level.
Such was the 21-year-old Nitu's confidence that she played with an open guard, inviting her opponent to strike while using her straight jabs and combination punches to great effect.
