CHENNAI: Nikhat Zareen, Nitu Ghanghas, Lovlina Borgohain and Saweety Boora were the toast of the nation after the IBA Women’s World Championships and rightly so. In their own unique style of boxing, they beat some giants of the game to corner glory in New Delhi.
India women’s team national chief coach Bhaskar Bhatt has been part of their journey for some time now, having worked with some of the pugilists, including Nitu, since their youth days. Expectedly, he’s a delighted man and is intent on helping the boxers build on this period of success. Bhatt felt this fertile period in women’s boxing is due to investment over the years. With youth boxers evolving and becoming more stronger at the senior level, the Indian team is in a better shape.
“Given that this championship was being conducted in India, I had tall hopes. Our boxers had been moving forward step-by-step for a few years now. Everyone, including the coaches and support staff, had joined hands and worked as a unit, helping the boxers push on. As many as six boxers from the 12-member team were also part of the youth team,” Bhatt noted.
“All our No 1, No 2 and No 3-ranked boxers are strong and anyone can beat anyone on their day. So there’s healthy competition within the team. That has helped the team in a massive manner. All the boxers now get a chance to go overseas and play some good bouts. That has increased their levels and become a stronger boxer,” he added.
One of the notable names who has risen through the ranks is Nitu, a former two-time youth world champ. In fact, Nitu had won the first youth world title under Bhatt’s guidance in 2017. Nitu was one of the standouts during the event, dominating her first three bouts before posting hard-fought wins in the semis and final. “Nitu is very quiet outside but when she’s inside the ring, she’s full of aggression. She can torment anyone with her style of boxing. She has been a different boxer ever since she became a national champ in 2021. We had been working on her long range and that is reflecting on her performance.”
Nikhat is another pugilist who looks invincible right now. She made a seamless transition from 52kg to 50. “Nikhat has had a massive hunger to win. She has been dominant and exceptional. We had worked on her medium range and she has been really good at it. She just doesn’t let her rivals take charge and dictates the fight. She is mentally strong.”
Lovlina, after some hiccups last year, also showed that she means business. Lovlina’s strong outing, where she defeated some proven boxers, bodes well for India ahead of the Paris Olympics. “We had worked on Lovlina since the National Games in 2022. She had worked on her diet and nutrition and had started to build strength. It was a tough final for her and she still has plenty of room for improvement but she is in the right direction. Her dedication and willingness to work hard is something that has helped her reach so far,” the 58-year-old noted.
The icing on the cake was Saweety’s gold. Saweety has been part of Indian boxing for a long time but has always seemed to be in the background. Bhatt is impressed with the mental discipline she has cultivated over the years. “Saweety has been boxing for a such time and now she seems to understand what’s needed from her. Experience over the years has made her a stronger fighter and she reads her opponents really well. She was pretty confident of winning the title this time.”
Even though India won medals in just two Olympic weight categories (50kg and 75kg) during the championships, Bhatt is not a worried. Investing in young players comes with risk. But it also means now, after this experience, they could go on to find success later. Bhatt is hoping for just that.