Commonwealth Games boxing trials: Collision avoided as Mary Kom, Nikhat Zareen put in separate categories

Indian boxing legend Mary Kom and recently-crowned world champion Nikhat Zareen won’t be fighting each other for a place at the Commonwealth Games 2022 like they did for the Tokyo Olympics.

According to a report in Tribune India, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has decided to send boxers for the 48kg, 50kg, 60kg and 70kg women’s divisions at the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Birmingham, UK from July 28 to August 8.

While there are a total of six weight divisions in the women’s boxing competition at CWG 2022, a nation can send a maximum of four boxers. India won’t be sending boxers in the 57kg and 75kg categories.

While Mary Kom will be vying for a spot in her pet 48kg, Nikhat Zareen, who recently won the 52kg women’s world championship title in Istanbul, will fight for a spot in 50kg division.

“On the basis of winnability of the boxers, the head coach and high-performance director had recommended four weight categories among the available six categories for CWG and the federation agreed,” BFI secretary-general Himanta K Kalita told Tribune India.

The decision has averted a possible Nikhat Zareen vs Mary Kom confrontation at the selection trials.

The two had memorably locked horns for the 51kg spot for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics qualifiers in what turned out to be a heated duel. 

Nikhat Zareen had questioned Mary Kom being awarded a direct entry and was eventually granted a trial match against the London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist.

After trading words for months, Mary Kom beat Nikhat Zareen in the trials and made the cut for the qualifiers. Mary Kom even refused to shake hands after the fight.

Time, however, has healed this ugly boxing episode. Recently, Mary Kom congratulated Nikhat Zareen on her gold medal win at the world championships and the junior boxer hailed Mary Kom as her idol and sought her blessings.

“Now there are two categories and that helps. It is also wonderful from an Indian perspective that we do well in the lighter weight categories so we have more chances of winning medals,” BFI president Ajay Singh stated.

Additionally, the BFI has also deferred the trial to June 9 from the initially planned date of May 31 to give Nikhat Zareen enough time to recover and recuperate after her exploits at the worlds. Nikhat will also get time to shed weight to be able to compete in the 50kg category.

While the move suits Nikhat Zareen, it will be a bitter pill to swallow for another 2022 worlds medallist Manisha Moun. The Kaithal-based boxer who won bronze in the 57kg category at Istanbul sees her pet division dropped from India’s CWG 2022 itinerary and will need to move up to the 60kg division to compete for a place.

Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, meanwhile, will be the prime contender for the 70kg slot.