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Nikhat, Jadumani shine as India continue to dominate
A total of eight women and seven men from the home team made the final of their respective weight categories
Greater Noida: Hosts India continued their dominant run at the ongoing World Boxing Cup Final at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex here, winning six of the nine semi-finals across men’s and women’s divisions on the penultimate day of the competition and setting the stage for a goldrush.
As many as four men made the final round on Wednesday while two women — two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) and reigning 57kg world champion Jaismine Lamboriya — advanced to their respective gold medal matches. India’s three losses came through Neeraj Phogat (women’s 65kg), Jugnoo Ahlawat (men’s 85kg), and Sumit (men’s 75kg) each of who secured a bronze medal after bowing out in semis.
The results of the semi-finals, spread across two days, mean eight of the ten women and seven of the ten men will end their international season with either a gold or silver.
Leading the Indian charge was pre-tournament favourite Nikhat who won a scrappy bout against 2022 youth world champion from Uzbekistan, Ganieva Gulsevar. Having received a first-round bye, Nikhat was coming off a quarter-final loss at the World Championships in September. Her performance was far from flawless as she struggled to land clean punches and could seldom eke out space for her combinations to flow. However, she did well to impose herself and was not shy of appearing messy in the process. She clinched and grappled more than she punched, and on more than one occasion, she almost pushed Gulsevar out of the ring.
The Uzbek, still finding her feet on the international circuit, had no answer to the rough tactics. She jabbed more in hope than conviction, lacked anticipation and was found wanting in defence. A 5-0 verdict was a fair reflection of the imperfect bout.
“I am very happy as I will finally open my medal account after so long. I was filled with nostalgia competing in front of the home crowd as I was reminded of my world championship win at home (2023). The journey to LA 2028 is long and I’ll take it step by step,” she said.
Nikhat last won an international medal 21 months back when she claimed a silver medal at the 2024 Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria. Her last international gold came 32 months back at the 2023 World Championships at home.
“It’s the first time that my bout is scheduled so late in the competition. The bout itself was not as per my expectation but the good thing is that I won. I’m very happy that my medal account has finally opened after so long,” the 29-year-old added.
If Nikhat showed signs of rust, Jadumani Singh Mandengbam glided across the ring with exemplary ease to make the shortwork of his opponent Izaz Omer in what was easily the most entertaining bout of the day
The 21-year-old from Manipur’s Iroishemba village was showmanship personified in his 50kg semi-final, teasing and taunting Omer before humbling him with a unanimous decision.
The Neymar fan toyed with the 20-year-old Aussie — a bronze medallist at the Astana World Boxing Cup earlier this year — often enticing him into wild swings before comfortably ducking and weaving and unleashing a combination of his own.
“I knew I had more power, so I wanted to corner him and outpunch him. It went better than what I had expected,” Jadumani, who made the World Championships quarters this year, said.
Other Indian winners: Men - Sachin Siwach (60kg), Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg); Women - Jaismine Lamboriya (57kg)
