It was a treat for the Indian fans as all four home boxers, including World champion Nikhat Zareen (50kg) and Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), recorded creditable wins to book their berths in the finals of the World Boxing Championships at the K.D. Jadhav Hall here on Thursday.
Besides the two stars, Commonwealth Games champion Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) and Asian champion Saweety Boora (81kg) fought hard to script their wins.
Nitu shocked Worlds silver medallist and current Asian champion Alua Balkibekova 5-2 in a close contest.
The hard-hitting Alua took the opening round, but an undaunted Nitu, who lost to the same opponent in 2022, rallied to execute quick combinations from a close range to secure the next two despite a lot of holding from the tired Kazakh.
Nitu will take on Mongolia’s Altansetseg Lutsaikhan in the final.
Competing in her fifth bout, Nikhat, the 52kg gold medallist last year, raised her game to beat Colombian World and Olympic medallist Ingrit Valencia 5-0 and reach her second consecutive final.
Utilising her experience of her victory over southpaw Ingrit in a 2019 Big Bout League match, Nikhat moved well and used an effective right straight and some combinations to claim the first two rounds before playing it safe in the third.
“When my old tactics worked in the first round, I continued with it,” said Nikhat, who will square-off against Vietnamese Thi Tam Ngyuen in the title clash.
Lovlina provided more excitement by outsmarting China’s multiple World and Olympic medallist Li Qian 4-1.
Lovlina connected punches from a long range and won the opening round before Li’s power-packed shots got her the second. Lovlina spectacularly used the double-left-jab-and-right combination in the third to ensure victory. She will face Australia’s Caitlin Parker.
Saweety showcased her headshots to edge out Australian Emma-Sue Greentree 4-3. She will meet Chinese Lina Wang.
