Nikhat Zareen, Gaurav Solanki win bronze at Bosphorus Boxing Tournament

India's Nikhat Zareen and Gaurav Solanki lost their respective semifinal bouts on Friday.

Nikhat Zareen (right) in action during her semifinal bout. - SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Indian boxers Nikhat Zareen (51kg) and Gaurav Solanki (57kg) ended up with a bronze medal each as both lost their semifinal bouts on Friday at the Bosphorus Boxing Tournament in Turkey.

It meant India’s medal tally at the end of its campaign was two.

Asian Championship bronze medallist Nikhat Zareen, who defeated world Champion Paltceva Ekaterina of Russia in the pre-quarterfinals and

two-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan in quarterfinals, was up against 2019 World Championship silver medallist Busenaz Cakiroglu of Turkey in the semifinal.

The opening round had both the boxers playing the waiting game but the subsequent rounds saw both the boxers attack a lot in an intense bout. Cakiroglu landed more punches and secured a unanimous 5-0 win.

Solanki, who notched up impressive wins in the previous rounds, was facing Argentina’s Nirco Cuello. He displayed his attacking prowess from the start but conceded clear punches in the dying minutes to lose 5-0 and bow out of the tournament.