Indian Women Boxers Shine at World Championships: Nitu Ghanghas Claims Victory, Three Teammates Earn Podium Finishes

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: 2023-03-24 05:37:00

Nitu Ghanghas is one of the few, if not the only, dominating boxers competing at the 2023 Women's World Championships in Delhi. The Haryana-based boxer is yet to complete a match on her path to the 48kg semifinals of the competition, securing the first of four Indian gold on Wednesday when the referee called time on the match in the middle of the second round in her quarterfinal matchup against Japan's Mada Wadoka.

The Commonwealth Games winner has been fighting with confidence throughout this competition, looking to apply pressure early and confuse her opponent by scoring a few crisp jabs. She started the fight cautiously this time because she was up against someone who was obviously quicker on their feet. The first round of the fight resembled a cat-and-mouse pursuit.

Wadoka would spend the majority of the opening round avoiding contact instead of making it, using deft body punches and blocks to keep Ghanghas at a distance and instantly neutralizing any of the Indian's attacking techniques. The Japanese were struck by a few left hooks to the temple, but they did well to prevent Ghanghas from landing more than a few solid blows. The Indians won the opening round 5-0.

Although the match lacked the aggressive routs that Ghanghas had been playing out the previous week. Similar to the first round, Wadoka started the second round strong on defense and the back foot, exhausting her rival before she could capitalize. However, Ghanghas regained her composure halfway through the round, unleashing a potent one-two combination that included a right hand to the square of her opponent's face and a hard left hook to follow.

Before the referee decided enough was enough, Ghanghas would retaliate a short while later, racing down her opponent and delivering two massive left hands to the face. It almost seemed as though the Indian was sad not to be battling out a complete match before to the semi-finals as the victory and medal were announced.

By beating Chutamat Raksat of Thailand in the quarterfinal on a split decision, the defending world champion Nikhat Zareen also guaranteed India a medal at the competition. Zareen won 3-2, which increased to 5-2 after a unanimous fight review in a closer, cagier contest. However, she did not put up as overpowering of performance as Ghanghas.

After a demanding schedule that saw her competing for three rounds before the quarterfinals, Zareen had appeared worn out and ragged. On Wednesday, though, she appeared more upbeat and lighter on her feet while trading punches. She moved rapidly, making more careful dodges and blocks while landing some powerful blows.

Zareen won both of the closely contested opening rounds, 3-2. Zareen sounded completely relieved to advance to the medal matches after a long wait for the decision owing to the bout assessment and statements in the other ring. The exhaustion seemed to show in the final round, in which Raksat had most of the upper hand and won 1-4.

Later on in the day, Rady Gramane of Mozambique was defeated by Lovlina Borgohain, who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, in a 5-0 decision. Similar to her previous fight, Lovlina exploited the advantage of her height to manage the fight with deft defense, but she appeared more assured in attack, employing her stronger right hand to deal damage.

In preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lovlina and Zareen are both competing in newer weight divisions (75 kg and 50 kg, respectively). A medal at the competition would be a noteworthy accomplishment for both.

With a unanimous 5-0 verdict, Saweety Boora overcame Viktoriya Kebikava in the 81 kg division to ensure India's fourth medal at the competition. Saweety only needed to win one match to take home a medal because she was the top seed and had direct admission into the quarterfinals. With four boxers failing their quarterfinal matches on Wednesday, India's chances of winning a medal were directly in the middle.

The biggest shock of the day was Manisha Moun's 1-4 loss to Amina Zidani of France, the defending bronze medalist. In other matches, Kazakhstan's Lazzat Kungeibayeva defeated India's Nupur in the 81+ kg division in a close 3-4 split decision that required a fight review, while CWG bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria was soundly defeated by Colombia in a 0-5 unanimous decision.