NEW DELHI: A ferocious Nikhat Zareen delivered a blockbuster opening day performance when she outpunched and outmuscled Azerbaijan’s Anakhanim Ismayilova in the preliminary round of the women’s 50kg category to begin her World Championships title defence in style here on Thursday.
Sakshi Chaudhary (52kg), Preeti (54kg) and Nupur Sheoran (+81kg), too, won their respective bouts with ease as the hosts started off their campaign at the boxing Worlds on a resounding note. Such was India’s dominance on the first day of the meet that two host nation boxers – Nikhat and Preeti – registered an emphatic RSC (referee stops contest) victory over their respective rivals.
Nupur is just one win away from securing at least a bronze after she defeated Guyana’s Jackman Abiola by a unanimous decision (5-0) in the pre-quarters. However, that would be easier said than done. The Indian will be up against a formidable Lazzat Kungeibayeva from Kazakhstan, who is a former world champion with more than eleven years of international experience. The Kazakh is a 2016 AIBA women’s World boxing champion and is coming to India on the back of a successful outing at the ASBC Asian Elite Championships in Dubai, where she won the gold.
“I know I will be playing a world champion who is a second seed here. I will focus on my strength which is speed and foot movement. Those are the strong pillars of my game,” said Nupur, who has been making a comeback from a ligament injury and is competing for the first time in the heavyweight category. The highlight of Nupur’s game against Abiola was playing with an open guard and she plans to continue with the same approach against Kungeibayeva.
Earlier Nikhat, a reigning flyweight champion (non-Olympic 52kg division) who is competing in an Olympic weight category here, didn’t allow her opponent Ismayilova to settle down, unleashing a flurry of punches to breach her defence on several occasions.
Ismayilova endured three standing counts inside the first two periods of three-minute each. The bout was stopped a few minutes into the second round after the Azerbaijani received her third standing count.
“I am happy with my performance. I had watched her recent bouts from the Strandja memorial meet and had accordingly made plans to attack her. Her strong point was jab since she is a southpaw. My strategy was to defend with my left hand while attacking her with the right. I was successful in my approach,” Nikhat told reporters after her bout.
Nikhat will next face Algerian top seed, Roumaysa Boualam – the reigning African and Mediterranean champion – in the Round of 32. Preeti, who, too, won her bout by RSC against Hungary’s Hanna Lakotar after her opponent received two standing counts will next face top seed, Romania’s Lenuta-Lacramioara Perijoc.
Junior and youth world champion Sakshi defeated Colombia’s Jose Maria Martinez by unanimous decision (5-0) and will be up against world youth silver medallist, Zhazhira Urkabayeva, from Kazakhstan next.
