Abhishek Mishra in Greater Noida
The Indian contingent is poised to finish with a historic medal haul in the World Boxing Cup in Greater Noida. So far, the hosts have secured 20 medals in 20 weight categories, with 15 pugilists entering finals. Meanwhile, five boxers settled for bronze after losing their respective semifinal battles.
The day before the summit clash was highlighted by the performances of Jaismine Lamboria and two-time World Champion, Nikhat Zareen.
Jaismine punched past Kazakhstan’s former Youth Asian Champion, Ulzhan Sarsenbek. In fact, Jaismine faced no difficulties in the women’s 57kg division and dominated the bout with flawless movement and sharp jabs.
Reflecting on her semifinal victory, the Haryana boxer said, “I am feeling good today. It was a good bout against the Kazakh boxer.”
For Jaismine, who is playing her second international final, the post-World Championship phase was not just about celebration. “After the World Championships, there was a break of 10-15 days where I attended all the functions, but I immediately came back to the camp to prepare for the World Cup Finals,” she said.
“The World Championships was a good experience for me. Although I didn’t have time to work on anything as there was very little time between both tournaments,” added Jaismine, who will face Taiwan’s Paris Olympic bronze medallist, Wu Shih-Yi, in the final.
Two-time World Champion, Nikhat (51kg), defeated Uzbekistan’s 2022 World youth champion, Ganieva Gulsevar, in a hard-fought battle. The Indian looked scrappy early on as the Uzbek boxer challenged her in the first round but Nikhat found her rhythm in the last round and dominated the Uzbek to win unanimously 5:0.
“The first round wasn’t as per expectations, but at least I won,” said Nikhat with a sigh of relief.
The Hyderabad girl will now play her first final since winning silver at the Strandja Boxing Tournament in February 2024. After the Paris disappointment, she has finally found her way back to the summit clash.
“I’m very happy that after the Paris Olympics, my medal account has opened. From here on, it’s only upwards and onwards. The journey to the Los Angeles Olympics is long, and I want to focus on one competition at a time,” said the New Delhi World Championship gold medalist.
Nikhat will now face Taiwan’s Guo Yi Xuan in a blockbuster final.
In the men’s events, new lightweight sensation, Jadumani Singh (50kg) landed clean uppercuts on Australia’s Izaz Omer, winning unanimously 5-0. Another Indian, Hitesh Gulia, (Brazil’s World Cup stage Champion) advanced to the final by defeating Uzbekistan’s Mukhammad Azizbek Ismoliov, also by a 5-0 margin. Alongside them, Sachin Siwach (60kg) and Pawan Bertwal (55kg) also booked their spots in the gold-medal bouts.
On the other hand, Neeraj Phogat (65kg), Jugnoo (85kg) and Sumit Kundu (75kg) bowed out of the tournament and had to settle for the bronze.
A total of 15 Indians (8 women and 7 men) will be in action on Thursday, at Greater Noida’s Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex. The final day is set to witness a strong India- Uzbekistan show, as six gold-medal bouts are scheduled between the two Asian countries.
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