Greater Noida: Nikhat Zareen cruised past Nitu Ghanghas in the flyweight (51kg) final to claim her third national title at the Elite National Boxing Championships, which concluded with the finals here on Saturday. Two-time world champion Nikhat faced a formidable opponent in Nitu – the 2023 world champion in the 48kg category.
Nitu began aggressively, scoring with sharp jabs and crosses in the opening exchanges, before Nikhat responded with well-timed counter-punches. Over the next two rounds, Nikhat took control of the bout, consistently scoring while remaining alert in defence.
“You always want to start a new season as a national champion. It gives a lot of confidence, especially when you beat a tough rival like Nitu,” Nikhat said.
“There are big events coming up like the Asian Championships in March, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. I’ll be prepared for all of them. There is always room for learning and improvement. I’m looking forward to working under new coach Santiago Nieva. I will focus on improving my speed and endurance and developing strategies against top international boxers, including the Chinese, who are fast,” she said.
Nikhat had lost to China’s Wu Yu, the reigning Olympic champion, at the Paris Olympics.
Lovlina Borgohain, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, asserted her dominance in the middleweight division, defeating Sanamacha Chanu by a unanimous decision.
In 48kg, world champion Minakshi Hooda faced little resistance as she successfully defended her national title. Paris Olympian Preeti Sai Pawar won the 54kg title, beating Poonam 5-0. Seasoned campaigner Pooja Rani, an Olympian and worlds medallist, clinched her 10th national title with a commanding 5-0 win over Naina.
In the men’s section, the competition proved tougher with a few defending champions suffering defeats. Jadumani Singh produced an attacking display to defeat World Boxing Cup Finals medallist and fellow Services boxer Pawan Bartwal 5-0 in the 55kg category, winning his maiden national title. Competing in a new weight class, Jadumani has shown remarkable hunger and skill to emerge from a challenging draw.
“Everyone advised me against changing my weight because of my short stature, but I trusted myself. I’ve proved that I can perform in this category,” he said.
Mohammed Hussamuddin completed a fine comeback in the most thrilling final of the day, edging defending champion Sachin 3-2 in 60kg. Hussamuddin recovered after losing the first round, using sharp counter-punching and superior ringcraft to turn the bout in his favour.
Aditya Pratap of Services pulled off another major upset, defeating fancied opponent Abhinash Jamwal of Himachal 3-2 in the 65kg final. Aditya displayed excellent control and precision to secure the win.
Hitesh faced a stiff challenge from Deepak in a closely contested 70kg final, winning 3-2. In the heavyweight division, Rajasthan’s Harsh Choudhary beat Naman Tanwar of Railways 4-1.
With 20 of the 25 boxers competing in the finals representing Services, the overall outcome was hardly in doubt. SSCB dominated the championships, winning nine titles in men and three in the women’s category.
