Asian Championship bronze medalist Nikhat Zareen (52kg) secured India's first medal of the ongoing tournament by reaching the semi-finals with a resounding victory at the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Istanbul on Monday. Nikhat, who won a gold medal at the prestigious 'Strandja Memorial' tournament, continued her scintillating streak with a 5-0 win over England's Charlie-Sean Davison.
The 25-year-old from Telangana has responded to Davison's aggressive play in the quarterfinals in her own style. In the first round, both the boxers attacked each other fiercely. Nikhat, however, dominated the second round and delivered precise punches to the opponent's body. After taking the lead in the first two rounds, Nikhat resorted to a defensive game in the third round and also secured a one-sided victory.
Neetu's (48kg) campaign, however, ended with a 2-3 fractured decision loss to reigning Asian champion Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals. The 21-year-old from Haryana, a two-time youth world champion, has to bear the brunt of the defensive play in the first two rounds. She struggled to punch Balkibekova during this time. He took an aggressive approach in the third round but it was too late.
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