World Women's boxing: India's Nikhat Zareen reaches final

New Delhi: Indian boxer from Telangana, Nikhat Zareen, reached the final of the 12th IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Zareen won the match with a whopping 5-0, beating Brazil's Caroline De Almeida in the 52kg semifinal; meanwhile, India's Manisha (57kg) and Parveen (63kg) ended up with bronze after losing in the semifinals against the 2020 Olympic Games bronze medallist Italy's Irma Testa and Ireland's Amy Broadhurst respectively.

In her second World Championships, Zareen will battle Thailand's Jitpong Jutamas on Thursday for gold. Jutamas would not be an easy opponent for Zareen as the former had beaten two-time World Championships medallist experienced Kazakh boxer Zhaina Shekerbekova 4-1 in the semifinal.

Zareen started with cautious moves in the first bout but soon turned aggressive, issuing a flurry of punches with great technique. She kept the momentum and made a lead in the second round too. In the third round, she kept moving around the ring and landed strategic-timely punches on her opponent, sealing the bout and winning the match.

This year's tournament marks the 20th anniversary of the Women's World Championships, IANS reports.