Nitu Ghanghas (48 kg) and the seasoned Saweety Boora (81 kg) both won their respective weight divisions at the World Boxing Championships on Saturday, and both were declared world champions.
In front of a raucous crowd that included bronze medalist from the Beijing Olympics and Nitu’s hero Vijender Singh, Nitu, who won the minimum weight division at the Commonwealth Games, defeated Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altansetseg 5-0 to win the title.
Saweety made it two wins in a row for the home team by holding off a challenge from Wang Lina, a two-time medalist from China.
In the opening contest of the day, Nitu jumped right in and used her arsenal of punches to effectively land jabs and hooks. The 22-year-old boxer from Bhiwani was successful in winning the opening round 5-0. She launched a string of direct jabs to start the second round.
The Indian southpaw responded to Altansetseg’s attack with right hooks. In a fast-paced match, both fighters competed from close range and engaged in a lot of holding. Nitu was penalized for clinching at the conclusion of the second round.
Altansetseg made a great comeback in the round, but Nitu was still able to win 3-2. Nitu originally avoided getting too near to her opponent, but she quickly abandoned the tactic and returned to playing up close after learning that Altansetseg would also lose points for clinching.
Throughout the competition, Nitu has been in unstoppable form, winning her first three matches by RSC (referee stops contest). She expertly adapted to counteract Alua Balkibekova’s strength after the Kazakh defeated her in the quarterfinal round of the previous tournament.
The 2022 Strandja Memorial gold medalist’s victory made him the sixth Indian boxer to win the global title.
The two join an exclusive group of winners that also includes Mary Kom, who won six times (in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2018), Sarita Devi, Jenny RL, Lekha KC, and Nikhat Zareen (2022).
Boxers are eligible
Star boxers Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain have qualified for the Asian Games, which are also the first Olympic Qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Games, according to High Performance director Bernard Dunne on Saturday.
Women’s grapplers will participate in five weight divisions in the Asian Games: 51 kg, 57 kg, 60 kg, 69 kg, and 75 kg, as opposed to six at the Olympics: 50 kg, 54 kg, 57 kg, 60 kg, 66 kg, and 75 kg.