At the Commonwealth Games in this city on Sunday, world champion Nikhat Zareen advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s 50 kg boxing category, but Shiva Thapa was eliminated in the round of 16 of the men’s 63.5 kg boxing tournament.
Nikhat Zareen advances to the 50 kg quarterfinals
Zareen defeated Mozambican Helena Ismael Bagao by knockout to go to the women’s ightweight final, winning by RSC (Refree stopping the fight), whereas Thapa was defeated 1-4 by Scotland’s Reese Lynch, who won the bronze medal in the world championship. Thapa’s elimination from the Games was heartbreaking.
Zareen was the first Indian fighter to enter the ring that day, but the youthful fighter proved to be no match for her as she controlled the fight from the outset.
Bagao was immediately alarmed by the Indian’s level of skill. She launched an immediate attack, engulfing her opponent with a series of left and right punches. When Zareen startled her opponent in the final round with several clean strikes to the face, the referee stopped the fight with 48 seconds remaining.
In the quarterfinals, Zareen will go up against New Zealand’s Troy Garton, the bronze medalist from the most recent Commonwealth Games, where a victory will guarantee her a spot on the podium.
Zareen declared that she will accept nothing less than a gold medal from the competition.
Thapa got things off well by easily defeating his opponent in the first round.
The Scotsman utilized his height and long range to land precise blows, but Thapa’s overconfidence and lack of concentration cost him dearly in the following two rounds.
Thapa was still in the running heading into the third and final round, but Lynch caught his opponent off guard with his aggressive demeanour, leaving Thapa with little choice but to defend.
Since Lynch was by far the superior boxer in the fight, the outcome eventually ended out favourably for him.