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Nikhat Zareen, the current World Champion, progressed to the semi-final of the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Thursday, February 8.
Nikhat (50kg) sealed a convincing victory over France's Lkhadiri Wassila in the first quarter-final. It was an interesting battle between both the boxers right from the beginning. The first round was closely contested as Nikhat put her quick movements to effective use, counter-attacking Wassila to eventually get ahead of her.
Both the boxers were thoroughly prepared to take each other on, which was evident as the second round began on a cautious note from both ends. While they didn't persist a lot on the attacking front, Nikhat remained slightly ahead of Wassila in the second round as well. However, it still seemed that the bout could go either way.
The third round was where Nikhat displayed her prowess and stamped her authority. She not only tackled her opponent's attacks tactically but also delivered some decisive blows that turned the tide in her favor. Eventually, Nikhat emerged victorious, winning the bout 5-0 in what was a unanimous decision.
Nikhat now awaits a tough challenge as she is set to face home favorite Zlatislava Chukanova in the semifinals on Saturday.
Arundhati makes semis, Sakshi suffers defeat at the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament
Along with ace boxer Nikhat Zareen, Arundhati Choudhary (66kg) also made it to the semifinals of the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament. She displayed sheer dominance against Serbia's Matovic Milena.
While both boxers seemed to be playing the waiting game initially, Arundhati made her intentions clear by delivering several attacks. They eventually won her the opening round quite comfortably.
She ensured to carry the momentum into the second round as well, remaining defensively solid in the third. Arundhati clinched a 5-0 victory to seal her spot in the semifinals, where she will take on Slovakia's Jessica Triebelova on Saturday.
On the other hand, Sakshi (57kg) faced a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan's Mamajonova Khumorabonu, leading to her exit in the quarters. She was pushed on the backfoot right away, struggling to gain her rhythm in the first two rounds. Sakshi did make a comeback to win the third round, although, failed to win the bout in the end.
Jugnoo, Naveen, and Sagar to be in action later tonight
Jugnoo (86kg), Sagar (+92kg), and Naveen (92kg) will be in action later tonight in the Strandja Memorial Tournament. Jugnoo will be up against Uzbekistan’s Djalolov Samandar, Sagar will face Zokirov Jakhongir while Naveen is set to face Kuttybekov Abzal of Kazakhstan.
Deepak (75kg) and Naveen Kumar (92kg) made the quarter-finals. They had a similar 5-0 unanimous decision win over Asankul Uulu Sultan of Kyrgyzstan and Voisnarovic Darius of Lithuania respectively on Wednesday.
Further, seven Indian pugilists are set to compete in the quarter-finals of the Strandja Memorial Tournament on Friday. Amit Panghal (51kg) takes on Darkhishig Battulga of Mongolia while Lalit (54kg) is up against Uzbekistan’s Nortojiev Khujanazar. Sachin (57kg) faces Kapanadze Giorgi of Georgia while Rajat (67kg) will be up against Ukraine’s Matiakubov Bozorboi.
Akash (71kg) will meet Mckeever Eugene of Ireland, and Deepak (75kg) is set to face Ummatalievu Javokhir of Uzbekistan. Abhimanyu Loura (80kg) clashes against China’s Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan.
One of Europe's oldest international sports competitions, the Strandja Memorial Tournament has witnessed more than 300 pugilists taking part from 30 countries.
