Women's boxing: India

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AIBA Women’s Boxing World Championships

2001-16

Devadyuti Das, November 15, 2018: The Times of India

2001:
The top performing countries
The top performing boxes
From: Devadyuti Das, November 15, 2018: The Times of India

Time Of Reckoning For Mary & Co As Women’s Boxing Worlds Gets Underway Today; Most Home Pugilists Get First-Round Byes

Women’s boxing is a fledging sports especially when it comes to Olympics. It was first given Olympic recognition in the 2012 London Games and since then it has become a regular feature with the five weight classes — flyweight (51kg), featherweight (57kg), lightweight (60kg), welterweight (69kg) and middleweight (75kg) — now a certainty for the 2020 Tokyo Games as well.

Outside of the Olympics, the 10th edition of the AIBA Women’s Boxing World Championships are the biggest event for the sport and the tournament returns to India after a gap of 12 years. Two India boxers — MC Mary Kom (48kg) and L Sarita Devi (60kg) — are the only survivors from the first Worlds held here, in 2006.

Mary Kom went from strength to strength, collecting an unprecedented five World Championships gold and a historic 2012 Olympics bronze. The 35-year-old is now a mother of three but still one of the quickest and classiest in the 10-member Indian team for this tournament.

As in 2018

Medal winners by weight category

AIBA

Weight Category	Date	Medal	Name	NOC Code
Women's Light Fly (45-48kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	KOM MC Mary	IND
		SIL VER	OKHOTA Hanna	UKR
		BRONZE	KIM Hyang Mi	PRK
		BRONZE	WADA Madoka	JPN
Women's Fly (51kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	PANG Chol Mi	PRK
		SIL VER	SHEKERBEKOVA Zhaina	KAZ
		BRONZE	FUCHS Virginia	USA
		BRONZE	NAMIKI Tsukimi	JPN
Women's Bantam (54kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	LIN Yu-Ting	TPE
		SIL VER	PETROVA Stoyka Z.	BUL
		BRONZE	HARRIS Kristy Lee	AUS
		BRONZE	MYAGMARDULAM Nandintsetseg	MGL
Women's Feather (57kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	WAHNER Ornella Gabriele	GER
		SIL VER	SONIA	IND
		BRONZE	BETRIAN Jemyma	NED
		BRONZE	JO Son Hwa	PRK
Women's Light (60kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	HARRINGTON Kellie Anne	IRL
		SIL VER	SEESONDEE Sudaporn	THA
		BRONZE	IBRAGIMOVA Karina	KAZ
		BRONZE	OH Yeonji	KOR
Women's Light Welter (64kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	DOU Dan	CHN
		SIL VER	BOVA Mariia	UKR
		BRONZE	KAUR Simranjit	IND
		BRONZE	CALISKAN Sema	TUR
Women's Welter (69kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	CHEN Nien-Chin	TPE
		SIL VER	GU Hong	CHN
		BRONZE	BORGOHAIN Lovlina	IND
		BRONZE	APETZ Nadine	GER
Women's Middle (75kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	LI Qian	CHN
		SIL VER	FONTIJN Nouchka Mireille	NED
		BRONZE	GRAHAM Naomi	USA
		BRONZE	PRICE Lauren Louise	WAL
Women's Light Heavy (81kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	WANG Lina	CHN
		SIL VER	C. SINISTERRA Jessica P.	COL
		BRONZE	GUNERI Elif	TUR
		BRONZE	KEBIKAVA Viktoria	BLR
Women's Heavy (+81kg)	SAT 24 NOV	GOLD	YANG Xiaoli	CHN
		SIL VER	DEMIR Sennur	TUR
		BRONZE	PERKINS Danielle	USA
		BRONZE	TKACHEVA Kristina	RUS

The Top 8

AIBA

Women's Light Fly (45-48kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	KOM MC Mary		IND
2	OKHOTA Hanna		UKR
3	KIM Hyang Mi		PRK
3	WADA Madoka		JPN
5	WUYu		CHN
5	CAGIRIR Ayse		TUR
5	BAK Chorong		KOR
5	DUTA Steluta		ROU

(64kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	DOU Dan		CHN
2	BOV A Mariia		UKR
3	KAUR Simranjit		IND
3	CALISKAN Sema		TUR
5	ZULKAYNAROVA Shoira		TJK
5	SAFRONOVA Milana		KAZ
5	BROADHURST Amy Sara		IRL
5	MESSINA Jessica		AUS

Women's Fly (48-51kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	P ANG Chol Mi		PRK
2	SHEKERBEKOVA Zhaina		KAZ
3	FUCHS Virginia		USA
3	NAMIKI Tsukimi		JPN
5	RANI Pinki		IND
5	DRABIK Sandra Katarzyna		POL
5	CHANG Yuan		CHN
5	JESUS DE SOUSA Grazieli		BRA

(69kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	CHEN Nien-Chin		TPE
2	GU Hong	(2)	CHN
3	BORGOHAIN Lovlina		IND
3	APETZ Nadine	(3)	GER
5	SILVA RONDEAU Myriam K.		CAN
5	PEREZ Lucia Noelia		ARG
5	SCOTT Kaye Frances		AUS
5	IAKUSHINA Iaroslava		RUS

(54kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	LIN Yu-Ting	(2)	TPE
2	PETROVA Stoyka Z.	(1)	BUL
3	HARRIS Kristy Lee		AUS
3	MYAGMARDULAM Nandintsetseg		MGL
5	LAOPEAM Peamwilai		THA
5	MAUN Manisha		IND
5	ROMEU Jucielen		BRA
5	EZ ZAHRAOUI Zohra		MAR

Women's Middle (69-75kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	LI Qian	(2)	CHN
2	FONTIJN Nouchka Mireille	(1)	NED
3	GRAHAM Naomi		USA
3	PRICE Lauren Louise		WAL
5	GALE Natasha Louise		ENG
5	THIBEAULT Tammara		CAN
5	SCHEURICH Sarah A.		GER
5	WOJCIK Elzbieta		POL

Women's Feather (54-57kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	WAHNER Ornella Gabriele		GER
2	SONIA		IND
3	BETRIAN Jemyma		NED
3	JO Son Hwa		PRK
5	YIN Junhua		CHN
5	A. CASTENADA Yeni M.		COL
5	MESIANO Alessia		ITA
5	NICOLSON Skye Brittany		AUS

(81 kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	WANG Lina		CHN
2	C. SINISTERRA Jessica P.		COL
3	GUNERI Elif		TUR
3	KEBIKAVA Viktoria		BLR
5	GRAHAM DIXON Krystal		USA
5	KACHARI Bhagyabati		IND
5	KACZMARSKA Agata		POL
5	SHOL T A Y Fariza		KAZ

Women's Light (57-60kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	HARRINGTON Kellie Anne		IRL
2	SEESONDEE Sudaporn		THA
3	IBRAGIMOVA Karina		KAZ
3	OH Yeonji		KOR
5	VEYRE Caroline		CAN
5	POTKONEN Mira	(1)	FIN
5	YANG Wenlu		CHN
5	ALEXIUSSON Agnes S.		SWE

(+81kg)

RANK	Name	Seed	NOC Code
1	Y ANG Xiaoli		CHN
2	DEMIR Sennur		TUR
3	PERKINS Danielle		USA
3	TKACHEVA Kristina		RUS
5	POONIA Seema		IND
5	SEVERIN Flavia		ITA
5	KUNGEIBAYEVA Lazzat		KAZ
5	ISMATOVA Guzal		UZB

Ranking by CGA

AIBA

RANK	NOC Code	Boxers	Victories			Lost	Bouts	Bouts per Boxer	Points	Points per Boxer	Men				Women				Total
			Prelims	Semi finals	Finals						G	S	B	Tot.	G	S	B	Tot.
1	CHN	10	18	5	4	6	33	3.3	40	4.0					4	1		5	5
2	IND	10	16	2	1	9	28	2.8	23	2.3					1	1	2	4	4
3	TPE	8	7	2	2	6	17	2.1	17	2.1					2			2	2
4	KAZ	10	13	1		10	24	2.4	15	1.5						1	1	2	2
5	PRK	4	9	1	1	3	14	3.5	14	3.5					1		2	3	3
6	IRL	6	8	1	1	5	15	2.5	13	2.2					1			1	1
7	GER	9	7	1	1	8	17	1.9	12	1.3					1		1	2	2
8	UKR	10	8	2		10	20	2.0	12	1.2						2		2	2
9	TUR	7	7	1		7	15	2.1	9	1.3						1	2	3	3
10	THA	6	7	1		6	14	2.3	9	1.5						1		1	1
11	NED	2	6	1		2	9	4.5	8	4.0						1	1	2	2
12	BUL	6	6	1		4	13	2.2	8	1.3						1		1	1
13	AUS	8	8	1		8	16	2.0	8	1.0							1	1	1
13	KOR	5	8			5	13	2.6	8	1.6							1	1	1
15	CAN	6	8			6	14	2.3	8	1.3
16	COL	4	5	1		4	10	2.5	7	1.8						1		1	1
17	USA	10	7			10	17	1.7	7	0.7							3	3	3
18	JPN	5	7			5	12	2.4	7	1.4							2	2	2
19	RUS	10	7			10	17	1.7	7	0.7							1	1	1
20	ENG	5	6			5	11	2.2	6	1.2
21	MGL	7	5			7	12	1.7	5	0.7							1	1	1
22	BRA	4	5			4	9	2.3	5	1.3
23	POL	7	5			7	12	1.7	5	0.7
24	ROU	5	5			5	10	2.0	5	1.0
25	SWE	4	5			4	9	2.3	5	1.3
26	BLR	7	4			7	11	1.6	4	0.6							1	1	1
27	ITA	9	4			9	13	1.4	4	0.4
27	MAR	3	4			3	7	2.3	4	1.3
29	ALG	6	3			6	9	1.5	3	0.5
29	ARG	5	3			5	8	1.6	3	0.6
29	PHI	5	3			5	8	1.6	3	0.6
29	UZB	9	3			9	12	1.3	3	0.3
33	WAL	2	2			2	4	2.0	2	1.0							1	1	1
34	FIN	2	2			2	4	2.0	2	1.0
34	MOZ	3	2			3	5	1.7	2	0.7
34	PAN	2	2			2	4	2.0	2	1.0
34	SCO	3	2			3	5	1.7	2	0.7
34	TJK	3	2			3	5	1.7	2	0.7
39	ARM	2	1			2	3	1.5	1	0.5
39	CRC	1	1			1	2	2.0	1	1.0
39	CZE	2	1			2	3	1.5	1	0.5
39	DEN	2	1			2	3	1.5	1	0.5
39	FRA	5	1			5	6	1.2	1	0.2
39	MNE	1	1			1	2	2.0	1	1.0
39	NZL	6	1			6	7	1.2	1	0.2
39	SUI	1	1			1	2	2.0	1	1.0
47	BAN	3				3	3	1.0
47	BAR	1				1	1	1.0
47	BDI	1				1	1	1.0
47	CAY	1				1	1	1.0
47	COD	4				4	4	1.0
47	CRO	3				3	3	1.0
47	ESP	4				4	4	1.0
47	HUN	2				2	2	1.0
47	INA	2				2	2	1.0
47	NEP	2				2	2	1.0
47	NOR	1				1	1	1.0
47	PUR	2				2	2	1.0
47	SOM	1				1	1	1.0
47	SRB	1				1	1	1.0
47	SRI	1				1	1	1.0
47	TTO	1				1	1	1.0

Mary among four Indians in QFs

Devadyuti Das, Mary leads the charge, four Indians in QFs, November 19, 2018: The Times of India

Ever since the 10th AIBA Women’s Boxing World Championships got underway four days back, the Delhi crowd had been waiting to see one boxer in action and that was five-time world champion MC Mary Kom. That wish was fulfilled as an almost packed KD Jadhav Indoor Hall welcomed the 35-yearold boxing icon to raucous cheers in her opening bout of the light flyweight (48kg) category against Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Kassenayeva.

But while Mary’s return to World Championships at home was a victorious one, her long-time compatriot L Sarita Devi’s hopes of adding another medal to 2006 Worlds gold came to end soon after. Sarita, a year older to Mary’s 35, lost her lightweight category pre-quarterfinals to 2016 Worlds silver medallist Kellie Harrington of Ireland via a split 3-2 decision.

Mary, who has won a gold medals in Commonwealth Games, Indian Open and Silesian Open in Poland this year, was joined in the quarterfinals on Sunday by Manisha Maun (54kg), Lovelina (69kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg).

Young Manisha continued her winning march in the bantamweight category with a 5-0 win over defending world champion Dina Zholaman of Kazakhstan. “Last time I faced her in the tournament in Poland, I didn’t know she was the world champion and I still managed to beat her. So I knew how to fight against her but I was faster than last time against her,” the girl from Kaithal in Haryana said. The 20-yearold will face 2016 Worlds silver medallist Stoyka Petrova of Bulgaria in the quarterfinal clash.

She was joined in the last eight stage by welterweight boxer Lovlina, making her Worlds debut at home. The 21-year-old Assamese boxer defeated Panama’s Atheyna Bylon with a 5-0 margin.

On Monday, Pinki Rani (51kg), Sonia (57kg), Simranjeet Kaur (64kg) and Saweety (75kg) will take the ring hoping to join the four in the last eight stage.

“There is a lot of pressure on us because we are hosting the Championships. People are expecting me to win again at home. But their support is also very important because we get double energy from the fans,” Mary said after her win.

The Manipur boxer, gunning for an unprecedented sixth world title to break a tie with Ireland’s Katie Taylor, will face China’s 48kg national champion Wu Yu in the last eight.

“The Chinese boxer is very intelligent, smart and very fast. I will have to plan accordingly and try to handle her,” Mary, who defeated Kazakh boxer with an unanimous 5-0 decision, said.

The veteran Sarita’s loss was the first for hosts India in these Championships. The 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist suffered due to a standing knockout count in the final round against her Irish opponent, which ultimately went against her in a split 3-2 loss.

“I am not happy with the decision but I can’t do anything about it,’ said Sarita later. “Wins and loss happen in life but I’ll never give up. I have won all three rounds, in the third round they gave counting which doesn’t affect the points. I don’t know why they felt that I lost, maybe the judges didn’t like me,” she added.

The 60kg title is vacant in India, as France’s Olympic champion Estelle Mossely, who beat Katie Taylor en route to gold at the 2016 Worlds, has turned pro. “It was like a game of chess. Sarita is a very tough boxer but I got my chances in the final round when she opened up and tried to attack,” Harrington said.

Sarita’s loss was followed by another shock in the lightweight division as 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist Anastasia Beliakova of Russia lost to a split decision to China’s Wenlu Yang. “I have prepared very well, this bout was quite tough for me. I was a bit nervous too since this was my first bout at home. I am feeling confident about my next bout (against Australia’s Kaye Scott) as I have done sparring against her. Atheyna was taller and stronger than me but I have worked a lot on strength training and that has helped me a lot,” the Ulaanbaatar Cup silver medallist said.

Bhagyabati rounded off another successful day with 4-1 win over Irina-Nicoletta Schonberger of Germany in the light heavyweight (81kg) class.

Sonia, Pinki, Simranjeet enter QFs

Devadyuti Das, Sonia, Pinki & Simranjeet join five others in QFs, November 20, 2018: The Times of India

Bulgarian Coach Lesov Thrown Out Of Worlds Over ‘Unacceptable Behaviour’

It was a day on which eight Indian women were assured berths in the last eight of the 10th AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship, a day that will also be remembered for young Sonia’s featherweight (57kg) win over Bulgarian Stanimira Petrova in controversial circumstances.

Dadri girl Sonia was trailing the 2014 bantamweight (54kg) world champion heading into the final round. But the judges’ verdict went the other way and Sonia got a 3-2 split decision win. Irate Bulgarian coach Petar Lesov, the 1980 Olympic gold medallist, threw a bottle of water in disgust near the ring after the decision was announced — an action not taken kindly by international boxing body (AIBA).

Petrova, a 2016 Olympian pugilist, said later in broken English, “It’s just corruption by the judges. It is not a fair result.”

AIBA took immediate action against coach Lesov. “The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has decided to remove the accreditation, and therefore the right to be in the corner, from the coach of the Bulgarian delegation, Petar Yosifov Lesov, due to his unacceptable behavior after the decision of the Bout Number 177 Session 9 Ring B involving Stanimira Petrova and Sonia.

The International Boxing Association does not tolerate, in any circumstances, such behaviour against the AIBA values and AIBA Code of Conduct, especially being a coach. The incident will be forwarded to the Disciplinary Commission for further review,” the AIBA statement read.

“In the second round, she (Petrova) was all over me. I had to do something to fight back. That’s why my coaches told me to play more aggressively in the final round,” Sonia said after her win. “The decision of the judges was absolutely right. Sometimes when you are in the ring, you don’t realise what is the right decision. One or two judges can be wrong but five judges can’t be wrong,” the 21-year-old, who faces Colombia’s Yeni Castaneda in the quarterfinals on Tuesday evening, said.

Joining Sonia in the last eight were experienced Pinki Rani (51kg) and young gun Simranjeet Kaur (64kg). Middleweight (75kg) boxer Saweety Boora was the second Indian casualty, bowing out in the prequarterfinals.

In a fast-paced flyweight bout, veteran Pinki Jhangra kept European champion Ebonie Alice Jones of England at bay for a 5-0 win. Ebonie got off the blocks at a rapid pace with a flurry of punches but her ultra-aggressive approach left her vulnerable to counter-punching. Pinki remained patient and exploded in the final round against the tiring Englishwoman.

“I think my first bout against Doaa (Toujanni) was tougher than this bout because she was also a former World Youth Champion. Ebonie was inexperienced, I took my time for counter-punches,” Pinki, who will face North Korea’s Chol Mi Pang for a berth in the semifinals, said.

Young Simranjeet posted the most impressive win of the day. After a flying start on Saturday, the Ludhiana pugilist put up another stunning show against Scottish boxer Megan Reid. The flurry of punches from the powerful Simranjeet impressed all judges in 5-0 win. She will take on Ireland’s Amy Sara Broadhurst in the last eight on Tuesday.

The only disappointment of the say was Saweety, who lost her opening bout of the World Championships — after getting a bye in the first round. The boxer from Hisar, Haryana, suffered due to a knockdown followed by a standing count in the second round against Poland’s Elzibeta Wojcik in a one-sided 5-0 loss.

Other Indians who will take the ring in quarterfinals bout on Tuesday to secure at least a bronze will be MC Mary Kom (48kg), Manisha Moun (54kg), Lovlina (69kg), Seema Poonia (+81kg) and Bhagyabati Kachari (81kg).

Highlights of the day

Devadyuti Das, November 20, 2018: The Times of India

India has second-most boxers in quarterfinals 33 nations have got at least one boxer in the quarterfinals. These are the countries with most boxers in last-eight stage: China: 9 boxers; India: 8; Kazakhstan: 5; Australia, Turkey, USA: 4; Canada, DPR Korea, Germany, Poland: 3 boxers Asia the leading continent so far Of the 80 xers in the QF, 36 are from Asia and 27 are from Europe.

Lovlina, Sonia, Simranjeet Join Mary In Last-Four

Devadyuti Das, THE RINGLEADERS, November 21, 2018: The Times of India

Mary Kom set a world record with 7 world championship medals
3 other Indian women boxers were assured of medals
From: November 21, 2018: The Times of India

Debutants Lovlina, Sonia, Simranjeet Join Veteran Mary In Last-Four

The AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships is finally starting to throw up surprises. Former champions and Olympic medallists are falling by the wayside while debutants have assured themselves of a medal in the tournament.

India fielded a contingent of 10 boxers, a mix of young talents and experienced hands led by five-time World Champion MC Mary Kom. As the quarterfinals rounded off on Tuesday, four of them were left standing, with Mary ensuring a seventh World medal and remaining in the hunt for light flyweight (48kg) gold which would help her break the tie with Katie Taylor with six world titles.

India’s richest medal haul in World Championships was back in 2006 with eight medals, when it was the host, and then in 2008 when it won four medals. On Tuesday, Mary Kom punched her way to ensure a seventh medal with comfortable 5-0 win over Yu Wu of China. In the semis, she will face a tough opponent in North Korea’s Kim Hyang Mi, who Mary defeated on her way to Asian Championships title last year.

However, it was the young Indian brigade, which has grown up idolising Mary, that gave a fine account of themselves on the world stage. Three debutants — Lovlina (69kg), Sonia (57kg) and Simranjeet Kaur (64kg) — moved into the last four. Lovlina, the girl from Golaghat district in Assam, posted the most impressive win of the day in the welterweight division quarterfinals against 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Kaye Scott of Australia.

“All my strategies against this boxer and all the work I put in worked today. It feels good to enter the semifinals but I am targeting gold, so I am not celebrating too much,” Lovlina said after her 5-0 win on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old took up boxing only seven years back. “I was more into muay thai while growing up and went to train for boxing at the suggestion of my school teacher in 2011. My physique was already good because of my muay thai background. After my boxing training in my first sub-junior event, I managed to win gold and never looked back after that,” Lovlina, who narrowly missed a 2018 CWG bronze but won silver in Ulaanbaatar Cup in Mongolia this year, said.

On her next opponent from Chinese Taipei, Chen Nien-Chin, the Assamese pugilist said, “I had met her once before when I lost to her. But I was still young and not a good boxer back then. This time I will definitely land more punches on her,” she said.

Dadri-girl Sonia put a controversial win in the last round behind her to overwhelm Colombia’s Yeni Castenada 4-1. Another 21-year-old, Sonia comes from India’s boxing factory Bhiwani.

“I want to take back gold from my first big international event. I’ll hope to recover well and observe my opponent to make a good plan and strategy for her,” Sonia, who will face 2018 Asian Games silver medallist Son Hwa Jo of North Korea, said.

In the light welterweight (64kg), Simranjeet Kaur continued her fine run into the last four with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Amy Broadhurst of Ireland. However, there was disappointment in store for the likes of Pinki Rani (51kg) who bowed out after a 5-0 loss to 2018 Asian Games flyweight silver medallist Pang Chol Mi of North Korea.

Young Manisha Maun’s impressive show came to an end against 2016 Worlds bantamweight silver medallist Stoyka Petrova of Bulgaria. In the higher weight categories, Bhagyabati Kachari (+81kg) lost to Colombia’s Jessica Sinisterra 3-2 in a split verdict while Seema Poonia (+81kg) lost to twotime world champion Yang Xiaoli of China.

Gold for Mary Kom, silver for  Sonia Chahal

Devadyuti Das, Sleepless the Night Before, Legend Wakes Up To Golden Dawn; Heartbreak For Sonia, November 25, 2018: The Times of India

A gold medal around her neck, the tricolour unfurling behind her and a packed KD Jadhav Hall standing in unison to cheer for her. If that’s what dreams are made of, MC Mary Kom would take it every night.

But Mary Kom hasn’t had time to dream. There have been quite a few sleepless nights in the lead up to her light flyweight final in the 10th AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships here.

The weight of history sat heavy on the 35-year-old’s shoulders as no woman boxer had ever won six world titles before this and the pressure of trying to achieve that feat in front of her home crowd meant sleep was the farthest thought on her mind for the past two days.

All the nervous energy and pent up emotions came out in a stream of tears as soon as the ring announcer declared Mary as the winner of the 48kg bout over Ukraine’s Hanna Okhota with a unanimous 5-0 verdict. Mary has been a pathbreaker in Indian sport for close to two decades but on Saturday, she became something else. The first female boxer to win the World Championships title for the sixth time — the previous five being in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Her opponent, Okhota, was just six years old when Mary won her first crown in the 2002 World Championships in Antalya, Turkey. The 22-yearold Ukrainian didn’t make things easy for Mary Kom. The girl, who had lost a onesided bout to Mary earlier this year in Poland, tried her best to go toe-to-toe with her much experienced counterpart.

It was a battle of two southpaws but the Indian was still the quicker of the two, using her right jabs effectively and with precision.

“I was competing in the 51kg for the last 3-4 years because 48kg is not an Olympic category. To come back to this weight category and win gold was just great,” Mary Kom, still in tears, said after her win.

“The most difficult thing for me was to deal with the pressure — pressure of expectations, the pressure of playing at home, the pressure of winning sixth world title and pressure of leading the Indian team. There was no weak boxer in my weight category. I had to fight my level best against all of them,” Mary Kom, also adjudged ‘Best Boxer’ of the championships, said.

Coach Raffaele Bergamasco revealed the kind of pressure that Mary Kom was under. “She has hardly slept in the last couple of nights. The pressure of expectations has been immense. The Ukrainian boxer is the toughest in this weight category. She is young and her punches are packed with power. Mary did well to keep her moving and moved in very judiciously,” the Italian coach of Indian team said.

There was heartbreak for Sonia Chahal in the featherweight (57kg) class as she lost to Germany’s Ornella Wahner 4-1. The 21-year-old though, brought home a silver on her World Championships debut — India’s seventh silver medal from the tournament. This was her first worlds medal.

In other finals, North Korea’s Pang Chol Mi claimed the flyweight (51kg) title with her win over Zhaina Shekerbekova of Kazakhstan, Yu-Ting Lin of Chinese Taipei clinched the 54kg crown defeating Stoyka Petrova

IBA World Women Boxing Championship

2022

A

May 14, 2022: The Times of India

Istanbul: Two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani (81kg) advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Boxing Championships as she defeated Timea Nagy of Hungary by unanimous decision.


Pooja wa s aggressive from the start and looked in complete control throughout the bout, as she registered a commanding 5-0 victory. She will take on Australia’s Jessica Bagley in the quarterfinal. Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (70kg) went down fighting against Cindy Ngamba of Fair Chance Team in the prequarterfinal bout. Cindy went on to secure a 4-1 split verdict in her favour. 


AGENCIES

B

Nitu, Manisha enter quarters

New Delhi: Indian women boxers Nitu (48kg) and Manisha (57kg) advanced to the quarterfinals of the IBA World Championships in Istanbul, after registering contrasting victories here on Saturday. Nitu prevailed 5-0 over Spain’s Marta Lopez Del Arbol in the lowest weight category to move to the last-eight stage. Manisha, on the other hand, eked out a 4-1 win o ver Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria to advance to the featherweight quarterfinals.
PTI

C

May 16, 2022: The Times of India

New Delhi: Asian Championships bronze medallist Nikhat Zareen (52kg) continued her splendid run as she stormed into the quarterfinals alongside Anamika (50kg) and Parveen (63kg) in the World Boxing Championships in Istanbul on Sunday. Nikhat made light work of Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg to win by a 5-0 unanimous verdict. 
Parveen then displayed her attacking prowess to outpunch former Youth Olympic champion Jajaira Gonzalez of USA 5-0, while Anamika dispatched world championships bronze medallist Kristy Lee Harris of Australia with a similar margin.


But, it w as curtains for Shiksha (54kg), who went down by a 2-3 split decision to Youth Asian bronze medallist Yesugen Oyuntsetseg of Mongolia. 
Nikhat was the first Indian in action on Sunday and she comp letely dominated from start to finish in her round of 16 bout. 
The Telangana boxer used her quick hands to great effect and landed a flurry of straight punches on her rival’s face in all the th ree rounds. PTI

D

Sabi Hussain, May 19, 2022: The Times of India

New Delhi: Nikhat Zareen calls herself a ‘technical boxer’. She doesn’t necessarily rely on the brute force of punches or an all-out attack against her opponents. She has a simple approach du ring her bouts: look for an opening to go in, land a few punches right through her opponent’s face and back out even before her rival can react. This way, the Indian flyweight boxer (52kg) cuts down on the risk involved with counter-attacking moves. The approach also helps combine her attack and defence to good effect.

On Wednesday, the 26-year-old, who h as been on a medal-winning spree this boxing season, summoned all her smart, technical moves to see off Brazil’s Caroline De Almeida 5-0 by unanimous decision in her 52kg semifinal to a dvance to the final of IBA women’s World boxing championships, currently underway in the Turkish capital of Istanbul.

Nikhat, who became the first Indian boxer to win two gold m edals at the prestigious Strandja Memorial meet after clinching the title this edition as well in February, will take on an equally-promising, Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas, in the flyweight category final. Jutamas stunned the two-time World Championships medallist, Kazakh- stan’s Zhaina Shekerbekova, 4-1 in the other semifinal.

The other two Indians in the f ray – Manisha Moun (57kg) and Parveen Hooda (63kg) – failed to clear the semifinals hurdle and settled for bronze each. The 2018 edition’s quarterfinalist Manisha’s defence was comforta bly breached by Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, Italy’s Irma Testa, who won by 5-0 verdict. Parveen, on the other hand, left it too late for a comeback in the third round, as the debutan t lost to 2019 European Championships bronze medallist, Ireland’s Amy Sara Broadhurst, by a split 1-4 decision in a more physical bout. Both the boxers earned their maiden medals at the Wo rlds. Nikhat, the former junior World champion would be looking to get India its first gold medal in four years at the Worlds, after Mary Kom’s historic triumph in the 48kg category at the 2018 edition of the event. This will be Nikhat’s first medal in her second appearance a t the Worlds. In the 2016 edition, held in Kazakhstan’s Almaty, she had lost to China’s Liu Piaopiao in the quarters, competing in the bantamweight (54kg) category.

“I didn’t allow my opponent to play her natural game in the semis. She was a southpaw and her strength was her counter-attacking game. I got her to play according to my plan and nullified her moves. I am happy that I was successful in my planning,” Nikhat told Boxing Federation of India .

E: Nikhat fifth Indian woman boxer to win gold at Worlds

Sabi Hussain, May 20, 2022: The Times of India

Nikhat Zareen couldn’t control her emotions. She did not have to. Tears flew freely, quietly, blissfully. It was a Thursday the Indian boxer will cherish, a Thursday that will stay in her heart, and in the hearts of all her fans and supporters.


Nikhat, who had struggled w ith injuries and self-doubt during a crucial part of her career, found peace at the women’s World boxing championship in Istanbul (Turkey). She went into the 52kg final with immense confidence, fought like a champion born and gave herself an early birthday g
ift by outpunching Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong 5-0. And then she cried.


Job done, she raised her hands in the air to thank the almighty and ran towards head coach Bhaskar Bhatt in the corner to give him a tight hug. The newest entrant to the country’s women boxing’ s gold medal club, was carried on the shoulders by an ecstatic Bhatt at the Ba ak ehir Youth and Sports Facility arena, as the other two members of the coaching staff followed them, Tri-colour draped around them.


For Nikhat, it was a culmination of all those difficult times she had endured rising up the boxing ranks under the shadow of legendary, six-time world champion M C Mary Kom. The former World junior an d youth champion was denied the opportunity to appear in the selection trials for the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers against Mary Kom before the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) relented. The gold medal triumph on Thursday evening also erased the pain and suffering Nikhat enduredd five years ago.


Nikhat had once famously quoted Swami Vivekananda to describe her fragile state of mind. ‘If you think yourself weak, weak you will be; if you think yourself strong, you will be’. This was after the Asian Championships bronze medallist suffered a career-threatening dislocation of her right shoulder during the All-India Inter University meet in October 2017. The

injury had delivered a knockout punch to Nikhat’s dreams. She was told by her coaches an d physiotherapists that it would only take a surgery on her dominant hand for her to box again. Her world had turned upside down. But the fighter that Nikhat is, the Nizamabad-born pugilist went under the knife in Mumbai, consulted psychologists to put those negative thoughts away and rehabilitated for a year under American boxing coach Ronald Simms to emerge a much stronger and fitter boxer. She announced her second comeback by crowning herself victor at the prestigious Strandja Memorial meet in Bulgaria in Febr uary 2019 and, since then, the Youth Worlds silver medal winner hasn’t looked back.

On Thursday, in the final against Jutamas, Nikhat displayed her wide array of combination punches, coupled with her tactical and technical superiority, to see off her Thai rival in a commanding fashion. Jutamas had come to the championship with the experience of having competed as a pro boxer on six occasions. But Nikhat was up to the challenge.

In the first round, there wasn’t much to separate between the two but Nikhat had landed more clean punches with some snappy left and right-han d combinations. The Indian was unanimously awarded the first round by all five judges.

In the second round, Jutamas made some amends to her approach and troubled Nikhat with her reach and height advantage. The judges went with a split decision of 3:2 in the Thai’ s favour. In the crucial third and final round, Nikhat landed quite a few crunching right hand blows and followed them through with her left hooks to seal the issue. The final scoreline read 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28 in Nikhat’s favour.

The most amazing part of Nikhat’s campaign in thi s edition of the Worlds was that she won all her bouts by unanimous decisions.

Nikhat’s golden streak started at the 2021 Nationals. On Thursday, she became only the fifth Indian woman boxer to win gold at the World Championships. It’s the 10th gold overall for India across all editi ons of the women’s Worlds. She also handed India its first gold in four years at the Worlds, after Mary Kom’s historic victory in the 48kg category at the 2018 edition of the event.

Mary Kom has been the most successful boxer from the country at the Worlds, clinching an astonishing six gold, one si lver and a bronze since making her debut way back in 2001. Others to have won the gold are Sarita Devi (2006), Jenny R L (2006) and Lekha K C (2006). In the last edition of the tournament, held in Russia in 2019, Indian boxers had clinched one silver and three bronze medals.

2023

Pre quarter finals

Sabi Hussain, March 21, 2023: The Times of India

New Delhi : Aggressive, unrelenting, confidence-personified. This is what India’s talented women boxers have shown to the global boxing community at the World Championships. Attack is the key word, no matter how superior or highly rated their opponents are. While Sakshi Choudhary and Lovlina Borgohain sailed into the quarterfinals, Monday’s story was about Preeti Pawar, who, even after her defeat by split decision, was the cynosure of all eyes because of her courageous and determined display.


Asian Championships bronze medallist Preeti’s showdown against Tokyo Olympian, Thailand’s Jutamas Jitpong, was by far the best bout featuring an Indian on the day. It had the motley crowd at the Indira Gandhi indoor stadium on its feet. 
Preeti, in her debut senior World Championships, was up against an experienced Thai campaigner.

Jutamas was beaten by reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen in the final of the women’s 52kg category at the Istanbul Worlds last year. Since then, Nikhat has gone down to the 50kgcategory, while Jutamas has jumped to the bantamweight (54kg) division. In their pre-quarterfinal bout here, Preeti matched her fancied rival for every hook, jab and punch during an engrossing nine-minute contest spread over three rounds. The first round went 4-1 in Preeti’s favour but shewas edged out 3-2 by Jutamas in the second. In the final period, both went all-out with a barrage of punches and some stunning upper cuts.


However, this is where Preeti’s lack of experience cost her. The Indian ran out of steam having spent all her energy in the first two periods, while Jutamas managed to hang in there by the skin of her teeth to sail past her opponent 3-2 in that round. The final scoreline read 4-3 in Jutamas’ favour, justifying the intensity of the bout.


Earlier, Sakshi, the 2021 Asian Championships bronze medallist, put up a stellar performance to script an impressive 5-0 victory over Kazakhstan’s Zhazira Urakbayeva in the 52kg category to inch a step closer to assuring herself of at least a bronze. Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina began her campaign in the event with a rusty 5-0 win over Mexico’s Vanessa Ortiz in the 75kg division to enter the last-eight.


Lovlina, who has been competing in the middleweight category for the first time at the Worlds after making a switch from the non-Olympic class of 69kg, failed to assert her authority over her shorter opponent, who could barely reach her shoulders and was struggling to punch upwards.

Details

Sabi Hussain, March 22, 2023: The Times of India

New Delhi : Ten days and six energy-sapping bouts. This in a nutshell would be Nikhat Zareen’s backbreaking journey at the Women’s Boxing World Championships, if she manages to reach the final of the women’s 50kg category.


The reigning flyweight champion has been spearheading a strong Indian challenge at the ongoing Worlds where eight of the country’s boxers have made the cut for the quarterfinals and are a bout away from ensuring themselves of at least a bronze medal finish.


On Tuesday, Nikhat again led the host nation’s charge with a furiously fought 5-0 win over a rampaging Mexican Patricia Alvarez Herrera to sail into the last-eight. The Indian sustained three cuts on her lower lip and was bleeding from the mouth.


Joining her in the quarters were Nitu Ghanghas (48kg), Manisha Moun (57kg) and Jaismine Lamboria (60kg). However, the curtains came down on the campaign of Shashi Chopra (63kg) and Manju Bamboriya (66kg), who lost tamely to their respective opponents. Shashi lost 0-4 to Japan’s Kito Mai in her round of 16 bout, Manju went down 0-5 to Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova in the evening session.


Nikhat’s schedule and her being unseeded on account of shifting having shifted to a new weight division (50kg is an Olympic class) for the Paris Olympics in 2024 has been a big talking point at this Worlds. The Telangana boxer might end up playing six bouts in a single championship for the first time in her career if she reaches the final in her bid to defend the World title at home. She competed on Tuesday in the pre-quarters where she literally ran out of energy in a gruelling nine-minute contest before prevailing 
over Herrera. The reigning CWG champion (50kg) will be back in action on Wednesday to take on Thailand’s Raksat Chuthamat for a place in the semis, which the Indian is expected to book. She could then meet the experienced Ingrit Lorena Valencia – Olympics and Worlds medallist – in the last-four stage on Thursday. Friday will give much-needed rest to the participating boxers. 
This would essentially translate to playingthree consecutive bouts in as many days. Nikhat had previously fought on the opening day of the meet on Thursday and Sunday.


If we compare her journey with other Indian boxers competing at the event, Saweety Boora (81kg) will start her campaign from the quarterfinal stage; Nupur Sheoran (+81kg) has played only one bout (pre-quarters) — on last Thursday — and will be competing on Wednesday after a break of almost a week; Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) had started with a pre-quarterfinal bout on Monday. “In my boxing career, this will be the first competition where I might end up playing six bouts. It happened because I didn’t get a seeding,” she told reporters.

Semi-finals

March 24, 2023: The Times of India

Star Indian pugilists Nitu Ghanghas, Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain and Saweety Boora produced monumental displays to reach finals of IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship as the hosts dominated proceedings at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex.

4 Indians in semis

March 23, 2023: The Times of India

Arampaging Nitu Ghanghas showed the way with her third straight referee-stops-contest victory, as four Indian boxers, including reigning flyweight champ Nikhat Zareen, Tokyo Olympics bronze winner Lovlina Borgohainand Saweety Boora, assured themselves of at least a bronze by punching past their rivals in the quarters of the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi on Wednesday, reports Sabi Hussain. However, the campaigns of Sakshi Chaudhary (52kg), Manisha Moun (57), Jaismine Lamboria (60kg) and Nupur Sheoran (+81kg) ended.

Finals

Sabi Hussain, March 27, 2023: The Times of India

New Delhi : There were two gold medal bouts and two contrasting wins for the Indian boxers.

An exhausted Nikhat Zareen capped off a brilliant run at the Women’s World Championships by successfully defending her crown in the 50kg light flyweight division. 
Nikhat defeated two-time Asian champion Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam 5-0 to secure the gold.

Courtesy her title win, she also became only the second Indian female boxer to have two more than one Worlds gold to her name after the legendary MC Mary Kom. Mary Kom has claimed a record six gold in the competition.


Lovlina Borgohain, too, managed to secure her first gold at the competition after settling for bronze in the 2018 and 2019 edition. The Tokyo Olympics bronze-winner added a fourth gold to India’s tally at the Worlds when she edged past two-time Commonwealth Games medallist, Australia’s Caitlin Parker 5-2 by a split decision, in the 75kg middleweight category. 


Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) and Saweety Boora (81kg) were the other two gold medallists for India at the New Delhi Worlds.


While Nikhat’s win was clean and simple, Lovlina’s was unconvincing and debatable. The boxer from Assam, who was competing for the first time in the Olympic weight division of 75kg after shifting from the non-Olympic class of 69kg, trailed the Australian 1-4 in the second round after managing to ward off her opponent’s attacks in the first period to claim it 3-2 in her favour.


Going into the third and final round, the Indian was under pressure to fight aggressively. But it was Parker who was the aggressor and whose punches weremore precise. Lovlina could only be seen defending and trying to fight from long range. The Australian was relentless in her counter-attacks and, after the end of the bout, it appeared that Parker might edge past Lovlina on points.


But much to the surprise of everyone, the Indian was declared the winner. Parker left the arena shaking her head in disbelief, being comforted by the Australian team’s head coach, Santiago Nieva. 
“I was under a lot of stress before the final. The coaches had told me to stick to a plan and play from close range. But I couldn’t succeed in it. I would say I could only play 90 per cent of my game,” Lovlina told the media. “I had to change my strategy midway after she won the second round. She was a strong boxer,” she added.


But before Lovlina brought the curtains down on a stupendous Indian campaign, it was the Birmingham CWG champion Nikhat who rocked the KD Jadhav indoor hall with another spirited performance against an equally ferocious rival. 
There wasn’t a single seat empty in the arena and the crowd could be seen jostling for space. The atmosphere was electric with several fans draped in Indian tri-colour and wearing Team India’s jersey.


As soon as Nikhat, Indian boxing’s biggest superstar right now, walked out to defend her title, the crowd went berserk with chants of ‘Nikhat, Nikhat’ reverberating in the arena.


Greeted with a loud cheer, a tenacious Nikhat asserted her dominance from the word go by landing accurate punches and used her quick foot movement to dodge the Vietnamese’s attacks. The Indian won the first round 5-0.


In the second period, however, Thi Tam made a spirited comeback to claim the round 3-2. Being a southpaw, Thi Tamlooked very strong in her stunning counter-punches and it rattled Nikhat. The Indian had herpes which got burst during t he bout, resulting in blood coming out of her upper lip.


In the final round, both boxers received a standing count each from the referee as the they went all out to gainupper hand. In the end, it was Nikhat who staved off her rival’s late charge to emerge victorious 4-1 in the final round.


“Today’s bout was my toughest in the entire tournament and since this was the last match of the meet, I wanted to give everything in the ring. This medal is for India and for everyone who has supported us throughout the tournament,” said Nikhat after her bout.


The Indian boxing contingent won the ‘Best Team’ award at the championships. India topped the medals tally with four gold, followed by China (3 gold, 1 silver & three bronze) and Russia (1 gold, 1 silver & 1 bronze).

Nitu Ghanghas and Saweety Boora emerge as new World’s championships

Sabi Hussain, March 26, 2023: The Times of India

New Delhi : India’s newly-crowned women’s world champions, Nitu Ghanghas and Saweety Boora, had thought about quitting boxing a few years ago for different reasons. Nitu, who w as introduced to the sport in 2012, had faced the dilemma twice – one when she couldn’t rise up the ranks in state meets during her junior days and the other when a pelvic injury in 2016 threatened to derail her boxing journey.


For Saweety, the snub meted out to her during the selection trials for the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers by the national federation had left her so di sappointed and demoralised that she left the national campin anger and returned to her first love, kabaddi.


On both occasions, their families stood strong and became a pillar of str ength for them. In fact, Nitu’s father Jai Bhagwan left his lucrative government job at the Haryana secretariat and went on unpaid leave for three years to contin ue nursing a dream in Nitu that one day she will make her parents proud by finishing on the top of the podium with a World Championships and an Olympic medal around her neck. Saweety’s family, too, had wished the same for her.


On Saturday, both Nitu and Saweety – draped in the Tri-colour – made the whole country of 1. 3 billion proud by securing gold medals in their respective weight categories to emerge as the new world champions in women’s boxing.


It was a surreal feeling for everyone present at the packed K D Jadhav indoor hall of the IG stadi um here, who witnessed history unfolding in front of their eyes. Nitu (48kg) defeated two-time Asian bronze medallist, Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg of Mongolia to secure a memorable 5-0 win by unanimous decision and, in the process, her first medal at the Worlds. She had failed to win one at the previous edition of the biennial event in Istanbul last year. The 22-y ear-old from Dhanana village of Haryana’s Bhiwani district had lost in the quarters.


Continuing her dream run in the tournament, the reigning CWG champion Nitu made light work of Altantsetseg with her remarkable speed and aggression, launching a flurry of punches on the Mongolian to leave her rattled. The twotime youth world champion relied on her smart foot movements and aggressive appro ach to prevail in the first two rounds by 5-0 and 3-2 scoreline respectively.


“This medal means a lot to me. I have waited for it for so long. I had started my career in boxing in 2012 and i t took me 11 long years to secure my first Worlds medal, so this feels really special,” said Nitu.


“My family’s financial problems will be solved after this victory. We w ill use the prize money to pay off our loans. My parents have struggled a lot to make me reach where I am today,” she added. Nitu and Saweety will be awarded with Rs 82. 7 lakh ea ch in prize money. Saweety, however, had to dig deep to thwart a spirited challenge from China’s Wang Lina. Competing in her second Worlds (silver in 2014 edition) final, the heavyweight cate gory boxer faced a tough challenge against the 2018 world champion Lina and managed to win her first two rounds by split 3-2 decision.


However, Saweety made good use of her technical prowess and strength in the final and decidinground to overpower her Chinese rival. Her gold is huge as no other female boxer from India has ever managed to finish on the top of the medal bracket in the heavyweight division.


“I am thrilled after fulfilling my dream of becoming the world champion. The bout went well and I was able to execute my planning perfectly. My performance in the tournament got better as the bouts progressed with my body also responding well. I want to thank the fans for their constant love and support,” said Saweety after the bout.


“It feels like I am in sev enth heaven. It’s been an incredible week for me. Throughout the tournament, I remained positive about my chances. In the final as well, I knew from the first round itself that my pun ches were landing cleanly on my opponent and that the judges would definitely rule in my favour. I am thankful to all, especially my parents for supporting me in my journey,” she added.

Mustafa Hajrulahovic Memorial tournament

2023

A

Sep 11, 2023: The Times of India

Manju punches her way to gold: Manju Rani outpunched Afghanistan’s Sadia Bromand 3-0 in the final as India finished with 9 gold and 1 sliver in the 21st Mustafa Hajrulahovic Memorial tournament in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Indian boxer’s skills in the ring also earned her the title of the ‘Best Woman Boxer’. In men’s 51kg category, Barun Singh Shagolshem defeated Poland’s Jakub Slominsk 3-0, while in the men’s 57kg category, Akash Kumar went down in the final to Sweden’s Hadi Hadrous 1-2.