India’s Nitu Ghanghas and Saweety Boora will take on Mongolia’s Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg and Lina Wang of China, respectively, in the IBA Women’s Boxing World Championship 2023 finals on Saturday.
48kg: Nitu Ghanghas vs Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg (Mongolia)
![Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg of Mongolia is a two-time bronze medallist at the Asian Boxing Championships. Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg of Mongolia is a two-time bronze medallist at the Asian Boxing Championships.](https://assetsss.thehindu.com/theme/images/ss-online/1x1_spacer.png)
Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg of Mongolia is a two-time bronze medallist at the Asian Boxing Championships. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Nitu Ganghas’ opponent in the final of the IBA Women’s Boxing World Championship is Mongolia’s Lutsaikhany Altantsetseg.
At 28 years old, Altantsetseg is a two-time bronze medallist at the Asian Boxing Championships and has greater experience than the Indian, who at 22, is competing in her first final at the World Championships.
While the two will be facing each other for the first time, the Mongolian doesn’t have the best results against Indian opponents. Competing in the 52kg category, she was eliminated by Nikhat Zareen in the 2022 World Championships quarterfinals. She also lost to another Indian – Minakshi – in the semifinals of the 2022 Asian Championships. Previously, at the 2021 Asian Championships, she was beaten in a 4-1 split decision by Mary Kom.
Nitu has been in excellent form leading up to the final, stopping her first three opponents before beating the 2022 silver medallist and two-time Asian Champion Alua Belkibekova in the semifinals by a narrow 5-2 split decision. Belkibekova, who was a southpaw gave some trouble to Nitu and Altantsetseg, who is also a left-hander will hope to make use of that advantage in the final.
While Nitu ended her first three bouts early, Altantsetseg, on the other hand, has gone the distance in her contests, winning each by unanimous decision. Perhaps her most impressive win was a 5-0 decision against China’s Hu Meiyi, who had won gold at the 2023 Strandja Cup earlier this year.
81kg: Saweety Boora vs Lina Wang (China)
![China’s Lina Wang (red) is a two-time medallist in the light heavyweight division at the World Championships and has won gold at the 2018 edition in New Delhi. China’s Lina Wang (red) is a two-time medallist in the light heavyweight division at the World Championships and has won gold at the 2018 edition in New Delhi.](https://assetsss.thehindu.com/theme/images/ss-online/1x1_spacer.png)
China’s Lina Wang (red) is a two-time medallist in the light heavyweight division at the World Championships and has won gold at the 2018 edition in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
China’s Lina Wang will go into her bout against India’s Saweety Boora as the favourite to win gold in the 81kg light heavyweight category. Wang is a two-time medallist in the light heavyweight division at the World Championships and will have happy memories at the KD Jadhav Stadium, having won gold at the 2018 edition in New Delhi.
While Saweety is also a former medallist at the World Championships, she’s coming off a long career drought with her last medal coming eight years back at the 2014 World Championships.
Both boxers are right-handers, although Wang has the height and reach advantage. Wang has made use of her reach and prefers to strike clean shots at opponents coming in. While Saweety successfully closed in and clinched against Australia’s Emma Sue Greentree in the semifinals, the Chinese will go into the final knowing the Indian’s strategy will be to rush and hold while landing opportunistic hooks in the inside fight.
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