Punching her way up: Nikhat Zareen

With her second gold at the World Boxing Championship, Nikhat Zareen is silently winning battles for women in India too

Nikhat Zareen does not speak.

Indian boxer Zareen is focussed on the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times)

There is a firm belief among boxers that Zareen is primed for the Olympics in a way no Indian woman boxer has been since Mary Kom won bronze. (Raj K Raj/ Hindustan Times)

The Indian women’s team’s chief coach, Bhaskar Bhatt, describes her as the finest boxer in the country right now. By winning her second world title, an opportunity to explode into her own orbit is tantalisingly close. The 2024 Paris Olympics are just days away, and Zareen is keeping count.

Nikhat Zareen in action during a match she won last year. (@zareennikhat)

Neighbours and extended family pressured her parents to reconsider continuing with a girl in boxing, letting her wear shorts. The family also faced some financial trouble, and had to sell their house and move to a smaller home. “I have faced everything and I have fought back,” Zareen said. “I just kept going and I didn’t stop.”