HYDERABAD: Two-time Boxing World Champion Nikhat Zareen, during a media interaction in Hyderabad expressed her happiness on winning the title in front of the home crowd, especially in the flyweight category. Nikhat Zareen after her big win at IBA Women’s Boxing World Championships in New Delhi was felicitated by the members of the Film Nagar Cultural Centre on Monday.
Elaborating on her goals, she said, “I always like to take a step-by-step approach to reach my set goal, recently my focus was on the World Championship, and now as I conferred the Gold medal, my immediate focus will be the forthcoming Asian Games 2023 in China which will qualify me for the Olympics. So, firstly I want to focus on qualifying for the Asian Games, then I will be focusing on preparing for the Olympics.”
She added, “My ultimate aim is to win an Olympic medal for my country and until that happens I won’t stop and that's what motivates me to do better every day.”
Speaking on her favourite moves in the fight, she said, “My favourite punches are the jab, right hook, but in the ring, you can’t blindly throw the punch but have to find an opportunity.”
About her preparation for the match, she said, “We had a camp in Patiala, we trained there every day, it was a good experience. I worked hard for the new weight category which was relatively new for me but still, I was able to beat all the boxers and win the Gold medal for the country.”
Speaking about the training facilities in Hyderabad, she said, “As there is only one ring in LB Stadium which is also not very well maintained and owing to the lack of coaches, I had to train in Inspire Institute of Sport, Bellary.”
She added, “We have a lot of talent in Hyderabad and Telangana but we need to conduct more competitions so that more boxers can come up from our state. Currently, my focus is to build an academy in Hyderabad and bring more boxers.”
She also encouraged other women to take up the sport, as she believes with hard work they can make a strong career and that it helps in being strong mentally and physically.