Commonwealth Games 2022 boxing: Nikhat Zareen storms into quarter-finals; Shiva Thapa loses
The reigning world champion beat Mozambique’s Helena Ismael Bagao by RSC in the round of 16 bout of women’s 50kg boxing at Birmingham 2022.
Reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen sailed into the quarter-finals of the women’s light flyweight 50kg category at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, UK on Sunday.
In her debut bout at the CWG, the in-form Nikhat Zareen, who won the world championships and Strandja memorial gold earlier this year, outpunched Mozambique’s Helena Ismael Bagao at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull to win by RSC (referee stops contest).
Nikhat Zareen will face Welsh boxer Helen Jones in the Birmingham 2022 boxing quarter-finals.
"You can't take it easy at this level. Everyone works hard to get here, you can't slack off at any stage. I knew I dominated the first round but kept my foot on the pedal in the third. I landed some powerful punches and the referee stopped the bout and gave me the win. I am happy to win my first bout at the Games and want to kick on to win gold," - Nikhat Zareen told Olympics.com.
""My next bout is against a Welsh opponent. I am not taking much stress and just want to perform at my best. I'll be gauging my opponent in the first round and devise my strategy accordingly after that," the Indian boxer added.
The Indian is by far the best pound-for-pound boxer in her category at CWG 2022 and Northern Ireland’s Carly McNaul, the 2018 Gold Coast silver medallist, is expected to be Zareen’s only real challenger for the gold.
McNaul, who survived a close call against Australia’s Kristy Harris earlier in the day, however, is in the other bracket and won’t meet Zareen before the final.
With Bagao trying to catch Nikhat Zareen out early, the Indian capitalised on the openings and landed a flurry of right hooks on her opponent. Swift footwork also enabled the Indian boxer to stay out of the Mozambique boxer’s reach.
Zareen ended the first round with a series of 1-2 punches and seemed firmly in control of her bout.
The Indian seemed in a league of her own in the second round, picking out gaps in Magao’s defence with ease to land crucial hits. Her opponent, though never lacking in energy, failed to match the world champion’s superior technique.
It was a matter of game management for the Indian in the third and final round and Zareen navigated through with ease. Such was the Indian’s dominance that the referee stopped the contest with 40 seconds left and handed Zareen a victory.
In the men’s 92+kg super heavyweight division, India’s Sagar defeated Olympian Maxime Yegnong Njieyo of Cameroon by unanimous decision (5:0) to set up a quarter-final clash against Keddy Agnes of the Seychelles.
Shiva Thapa loses in men’s 63.5kg round of 16
India’s Shiva Thapa, who defeated Pakistan's Suleman Baloch 5:0 in the opening round of the men’s 63.5kg light welterweight division, lost by a 4:1 split decision to Scotland’s Reese Lynch in the round of 16.
Up against Lynch, a world championships bronze medallist from last year, Olympian Shiva Thapa produced a tactical game to take the first round. But the Scotsman hit back to win against the Indian, a 2015 worlds bronze medallist and former Asian champion.
"Shiva Thapa was a very good fighter and I had to be at my best to beat him. I kept my hands a lot higher in the second and third rounds as I knew he had had a good first round," said Lynch.
Sumit Kundu, in the men's 75kg middleweight division, also failed to make the quarters after going down 5:0 to 19-year-old Australian boxer Callum Peters.