World champion Nikhat Zareen and Haryana boxer Nitu Ghanghas will be biggest attraction at Bhopal nationals
The two promising Indian female boxers having excelled in their respective groups -- the world champion Nikhat Zareen and Nitu Ghanghas, the two-time world youth champion, will be the biggest attraction at the next month’s national women’s boxing championships scheduled to be held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Winners of gold medals in their respective weight categories at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, however, will contest in the 50kg, which is an Olympic weight category, at the December national championships in Bhopal.
“The 50kg bout will be the biggest attraction of the national competition,” Bhaskar Bhatt, India’s chief women’s national coach told Sportskeeda on Tuesday.
While 26-year-old Nikhat from Telangana has been competing in 52kg, non-Olympic heavyweight Nitu, 22, from Haryana, competes in 48kg.
According to the chief boxing coach, he expects a keen contest in the light and middleweights at the next month’s national women’s boxing championships in Madhya Pradesh.
“Several boxers will rejig their weight to compete in Olympic weight,” Bhatt explained. “Competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be held in six weight categories and I expect the majority of the top Indian women boxers to either move up or reduce weight to establish themselves at the Bhopal national meet.”
The six Olympic weight categories are 50kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 66kg and 75kg.
If the 50kg bout is a major attraction at the national meet, the 54kg group will also see top boxers, including Assam’s Jamuna Boro vying for a podium finish. Sakshi Chaudhary and Priti of Haryana are the other two boxers to watch in the 54kg class.
All the competitors at the Bhopal national will give their best as the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is expected to shortlist players for the national camp to prepare the team for the 2023 women’s world boxing championships scheduled to be held in India. Apart from women’s world boxing championships, the postponed 2022 Asian Games will also be held in the latter part of the year.
“The tentative dates for the world championship are between March and April. The final date will be announced shortly,” the coach added. “The national camp is expected to start in January 2023 in preparation for the world meet.”