Boxing World C'ships: Nikhat Zareen crowned World Champion for second time

New Delhi: Nikhat Zareen defeated Tam Thi Nguyen of Vietnam in the 50 kg final at the 2023 Women's Boxing World Championships to be crowned the world champion for second-consecutive time at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.

Unseeded in the 50kg category, the reigning World Champion fought a grueling bout against two-time Asian Championships gold medalist to win the title.

The first round started with caution as both players took some time to observe the other, with the Vietnamese boxer resorting to clinching and grappling.

It took some time for Nikhat to settle down before she landed a few clean jabs on the face of the Vietnamese boxer to win the first round clearly by a 5:0 unanimous decision, with Tam Thi faced a point deduction for clinching.

Tam Thi made a comeback in the second round as she moved around and put Nikhat under pressure with relentless punching. Nikhat also a point being deducted for clinching and foul play in this phase.

Tam Thi won the second round 3:2 which looked more like a wrestling match with both the boxers falling over multiple times.

The final round witnessed both the boxers going for the win and the round was contested quite closely as both the boxers were given standing counts after getting hit in the face.

As it was destined in front of her home crowd, Nikhat landed the final punch seconds before the clock stopped to win her second world championships medal.

Nikhat Zareen became the only second boxer after the legendary Mary Kom to win consecutive World Championships.

This is the third gold medal for the Indian contingent at the ongoing World Championships as Nitu (48 kg) and Saweety Boora (81 kg) won two gold medals on Saturday.