Nikhat Zareen beat Northern Ireland’s Carly McNaul in the final of the women’s light flyweight category on Sunday to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022.
Zareen won the bout on points by a unanimous 5:0 verdict.
Both boxers started the fight on a cautious note but Nikhat managed to land the first blow when she hit McNaul with a left-hand hook. She maintained her dominance throughout the first round and got a unanimous verdict by the judges.
In the second round, McNaul was the aggressor as she had to play catch-up. Zareen was still successful in landing a couple of jabs to her opponent in the early minutes, but not without facing a few hits herself. The Indian was able to see out the round and had a clear advantage before the last round.
The world flyweight champion used all her experience and played it safe in the final round. Despite her best attempts, the Northern Ireland pugilist was unable to turn the fight in her favour.
The Indian let her opponent tire out, and controlled the pace of the third round to secure her first Commonwealth Games medal. Carly McNaul had to settle for a silver medal - a repeat of her 2018 Commonwealth Games performance.
Earlier today, Amit Panghal and Nitu Ganghas won gold medals in the men’s flyweight and women’s minimumweight categories, respectively. India’s medal tally from boxing ticked to six - three gold and three bronze.
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