Following contrasting victories in the main event here on Saturday, Nitu Ghanghas (48 kg) and the seasoned Saweety Boora (81 kg) etched their names in Indian boxing history by being named world champions.
In front of a raucous crowd that included bronze medalist from the Beijing Olympics and Nitu’s hero Vijender Singh, Nitu, who won the minimum weight division at the Commonwealth Games, defeated Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altansetseg 5-0 to win the championship.
Saweety made it two wins in a row for the home team after holding off a challenge from Wang Lina, a two-time medalist from China.
In the opening contest of the day, Nitu jumped right in and used her variety of blows to successfully land jabs and hooks.
The 22-year-old boxer from Bhiwani was successful in winning the opening round 5-0. She launched a string of direct jabs to start the second round.
The Indian southpaw struck back with right punches in response to Altansetseg’s assault. The two boxers engaged in a lot of holding during their close-range, fast-paced fight, and Nitu was penalised for clinching near the conclusion of the second round.
Altansetseg made a great comeback in the round, but Nitu was still able to win 3-2. Nitu began playing from a distance in the final three minutes but eventually abandoned the tactic and went back to playing up close.
She expertly adjusted to counteract Alua Balkibekova’s strength when the Kazakh defeated her in the quarterfinal round of the previous event.
‘I’m glad I made the decision to play aggressively today before the match. (after the victory). I want to thank my coaches, especially my head coach Bhaskar sir, and I am pleased of myself and my family,’ Nitu remarked.
The 2014 silver medalist Saweety was able to modify the colour of her medal by competing in the final match of the day.
As soon as the fight began, the Haryana boxer tried to strike, but Wang used her quick reflexes to avoid all of her attacks. To the pleasure of the crowd, Saweety then connected with a powerful straight jab.
Both fighters were clinching and attempting to knock each other to the ground throughout the violent fight.
Saweety combined attack and defence in the third. She sidestepped, duck-stepped, and dodged Wang’s punches to win the round 4-1. Saweety won the fight after it was sent for review.
Since Saweety dropped off the map after winning the Worlds and the Asian silver in 2014 and 2015, this victory might be viewed as her comeback. She also lost out on the opportunity to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. She subsequently went on to win the bronze medal at the 2021 and 2022 Asian Championships, respectively.
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