Two-time world champion has not competed in any international tournament for one year and would be making a comeback at the major event

Nikhat Zareen. Pic BFI

Our Correspondent

Nikhat Zareen will need to quickly shake off the rust at the Boxing World Championships in Liverpool in September. The two-time world champion has not competed in any international event since the Paris Olympics, where she lost in the pre-quarterfinals to China’s Wu Yu. Entering the Olympics as one of India’s top boxing hopes, Nikhat took time to recover from the disappointment. A minor knee injury further delayed her return, causing her to miss the Elite Women’s National Championships in March.

Her comeback finally began at the Elite Women’s Boxing Tournament held in her hometown of Hyderabad earlier this month. Although there were early jitters, she fought her way to the final in the 51kg category. However, she had to withdraw from the title bout against Jyoti due to an injury sustained during one of the earlier rounds.

Despite the setback, her silver medal was enough to earn her a place at the national training camp in Patiala. During BFI evaluation to pick the team for the World Championships, Nikhat emerged on top in the 51kg weight class. National champion Anamika Hooda, who has been competing in 51kg this season, was injured during sparring. The evaluation followed a round-robin format, unlike the usual elimination rounds, meaning each of the six boxers had to compete in five bouts.

Nikhat, who clinched world titles in 2022 and 2023, will travel to Liverpool early to acclimatise. While she will be aiming for a third consecutive title, the task will be anything but easy. After a year away from the international stage, she will need to hit the ground running. Nikhat has the experience, and all eyes will be on how she leverages it in her quest for a hat-trick. This will be the first World Championships organized by the newly established World Boxing body.