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The Times of India
The Times of India
Sport
TIMESOFINDIA.COM

Nikhat, Lovlina, Nitu, Saweety storm into Women's World Boxing Championships final

NEW DELHI: Continuing their good run, reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen and Commonwealth Games champion Nitu Ghanghas registered contrasting victories to storm into the finals of the Women's World Championships on Thursday.

In the second session of the day, Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) and Saweety Boora (81kg) extended India's dominance in the event by advancing into the finals.

As expected, Nikhat posted a commanding 5-0 win over Colombia's Ingrit Valencia in the 50kg category semifinals while Nitu (48kg) had to fight hard to post 5-2 win over Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan.

Two-time Worlds bronze medallist Lovlina beat Li Qian of China by a 4-1 margin to book her maiden appearance in the final of the prestigious tournament.

Saweety too cruised into the title round with a 4-3 win over Australia's Sue- Emma Greentree.

With three consecutive Referee Stops Contest (RSC) wins under her belt, Nitu continued her remarkable run at the tournament against the reigning Asian champion Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan with a hard-earned 5-2 win on points after the bout was reviewed.

Having suffered a defeated against the Kazakh in the quarterfinals of the last World Championships, the 22-year-old Indian had a point to prove this time round.

Both pugilists were neck and neck in all three rounds and while Balkibekova kept Nitu throughout the bout, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion kept her cool to get the better of her opponent. The southpaw smartly landed accurate punches and showcased immense grit to reach the finals of the competition for the very first time.

Nitu will now take on the 2022 Asian Championships bronze medallist Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg of Mongolia in the final on Saturday.

Contrary to Nitu’s fiercely contested bout, Nikhat (50kg) had an easy day at the office as she continued her quest for back-to-back World Championships gold medals by outpunching the veteran Rio Olympics bronze medallist Ingrit Valencia of Colombia and securing a 5-0 win. Being at the top of her game, the 26-year-old star pugilist utilized her quick movement and stellar strength to control the bout from the word go.

She maintained her composure going into the next few rounds and dominated the bout, giving her Colombian opponent no chance to make a comeback and sealed the win by unanimous decision. Nikhat will now face the two-time Asian champion Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam in the final on Sunday.

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