Nikhat Zareen and Gaurav Solanki bag bronze medals at the Bosphorus Boxing Tournament

Indian boxers Nikhat Zareen and Gaurav Solanki each claimed a bronze medal after losing in the semi-finals of their respective events at the Bosphorus Boxing Tournament on Friday. With their defeats, the Indian campaign has come to an end at this Istanbul event.

Up against the 2019 World Championship silver medallist Busenaz Cakiroglu of Turkey, Zareen succumbed to a 0-5 loss in the 51kg category to settle for the bronze.

It was an evenly-fought contest in the opening round, with both boxers showing a cautious approach, but they shifted gears in the subsequent rounds. Despite a fierce fight from the Indian towards the end of the bout, Busenaz Cakiroglu punched her way to victory to book her place in the title clash.

The former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen has been in good form at the Bosphorus Boxing Tournament throughout the week. She had earlier got the better of former world champions, Ekaterina Paltceva and Nazym Kyzaibay, in her previous two matches.

Gaurav Solanki falls to Cuello at Bosphorus Boxing Tournament

Meanwhile, 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gaurav Solanki was blanked 0-5 by Argentina’s Nirco Cuello.

Even though the Indian showcased his attacking skills throughout the bout, a few clear punches conceded towards the end of the game led to his defeat.

Meanwhile, other Indian boxers in the fray – Sonia Lather (57 kg), Parveen (60 kg), Jyoti (69 kg), along with men’s pugilist Shiva Thapa (63 kg), all lost their respective quarter-final fixtures to crash out of the Bosphorus Boxing Tournament.

Many of the top Indian boxers, including the likes of MC Mary Kom and Amit Panghal, were rested for this event.