IBA Women's World Boxing Championships: Nikhat Zareen, Manisha claim dominant wins on day four

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New Delhi, March 19: India's Nikhat Zareen and Manisha secured win by unanimous decisions in their respective categories on day four of the ongoing IBA Women's World Boxing Championships 2023 here at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex on Sunday (March 19).

Nikhat outpunched number one seeded Boualam Roumaysa of Algeria in the Round of 32 bout in the 50 kg light flyweight category and qualified for the pre-quarters.

Nikhat Zareen maintains winning streak

The reigning world boxing champion - who won by RSC (referee stops contest) in the first round - won the first game unanimously by cracking a lot of punches aggressively. She lost some points in the second round but still managed to win it by 3-2.

The 26-year-old looked in her elements in the third round and ended up winning it convincingly. When asked about her strategies in the first round, Nikhat said, "Actually, my strategy today was to dominate the round from the start because she has the seeding at number 1. So, there was a slight advantage of seeding.

"As I didn't get the seeding, I planned on attacking the top-seeded boxer from the first round to make a good impression on the judges. That's why I had this strategy to dominate from the first round."

"I was facing her for the first time. I have never played with her before. So, I planned to check her for the first 10-15 seconds and then I will attack accordingly. But she was not attacking me in the first 15 seconds. Then I thought that I will start attacking. So, I tried to attack," she added further.

Speaking further about her strategy the Telangana athlete said, "I have seen her bouts before. So, my strategy was this. Because she is a fighter. If She goes in close range with her, she becomes very aggressive. So, I had this that I should play from a distance. But in between, there was a little bit of clinching. And there was a little bit of dirty game. But never mind. I won in the end. So, I am happy."

Manisha begins campaign with a win

While Manisha showcased her dominance against Australia's Tina Rahimi in the 57 kg featherweight category in the round of 32 contest. The Haryana-born boxer gave no respite to the Aussie pugilist and kept landing punches.

Manisha - the national champion - also made good use of the ring and kept moving around to never her opponent to settle her feet. Manisha - who is a bronze medallist in the previous edition - came prepared against her opponent - who is a CWG 2022 bronze medallist.

"While we had planned the strategy for this bout beforehand, the coaches' advice in between the bout helped me understand the opposition's mindset, land my punches perfectly and conserve my energy. I am here to fight and feel great carrying the weight of the country on my shoulders. I would like to thank the amazing support from Indians which has been crucial in helping the women boxers reach the pre-quarters," said Manisha.

The 25-year-old will be going head-to-head against Nur Elif Turhan of Turkey in the next round.

While interacting with media persons Indian Women's National Coach Bhaskar Bhatt gave a peek at the plans for this bout and said, "We made our strategies and Manisha implemented it brilliantly in the ring. We asked Manisha to maintain a big lead in the first couple of rounds. If you saw her bout, she was punching her opponent and moving away from her. We intended to make good use of the ring and it worked."