India’s Nikhat Zareen crowned world champion in Turkey

International boxer Nikhat Zareen, 25, has reaped a good harvest this year so far. On Thursday night in Istanbul, Turkey, the Telangana pugilist was crowned champion in the 52kg category at the World Boxing Championships.

Nikhat beat Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas 5-0 to enter the record books as the fifth Indian boxer to have won gold at the prestigious World Championships. Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom, Lekha KC, Jenny RL and Sarita Devi are the other four Indian boxers to have topped the podium in the previous editions of the World Championships.

Earlier in March this year, Nikhat won gold in women’s 51kg at the 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Bulgaria.

Bhaskar Bhatt, India’s chief women’s boxing coach was on cloud nine after Nikhat’s superb performance at the world event.

“Nikhat played each bout better than the other at the Turkish World Championships," the chief national boxing coach told Sportskeeda over the phone from Istanbul. "We can say that the performance graph was steady. It augurs well for the future. The medal at the World Championships will certainly add to Nikhat’s confidence.”

Nikhat Zareen's winning moment in the final of the World Boxing Championships (Image credits: BFI)

Way back at the 2016 World Championships, an inexperienced Nikhat bowed out in the quarter-finals.

In the build-up to the 2021 World Championships, Nikhat's focus was on sharpening her strong points.

“She has vast experience," Bhatt explained. "She has speed. We worked hard to polish her above qualities in the camp. The response was excellent in Istanbul."

Living in the shadow of India’s Olympic medalists and six-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom for a long time, Nikhat found her own path in 2022.

“Mary Kom and Nikhat were grouped in the same weight," Shiv Singh, Dronacharya awardee and former national boxing coach, said. "But it was Mary Kom who ruled the ring, and Nikhat had to wait for her turn."

In 2018, Nikhat lost to Mary Kom at the Jakarta Asian Games trials. The following year was even more painful as Nikhat lost to Mary Kom during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games qualifier selection trials.

Nikhat cemented her place in the national squad for the Hangzhou Asian Games, but it’s unfortunate that the major multi-discipline competition got postponed due to the pandemic in China.

“Nikhat will get a chance next year to earn a podium finish at the Asian Games," the senior boxing coach said.