Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen will lead India’s challenge at the upcoming IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships 2023 which will be held New Delhi. The tournament will be channelised from March 15 to 26 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex. Tokyo bronze medallist, Borgohain (75kg) holds two world championships bronze medals and will be collaborating with other prominent Olympic medallists in the path to victory.
Zareen will be playing in the 50kg category. Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nitu Ghanghas will fetch the medal in the 48kg category.
“In the last few years, India have become a powerhouse of boxing and we intend to further cement our standing with this talented contingent for the IBA Women’s World Championships. It’s a line-up of champions and I am sure that they’ll bring glory to the country again,” averred Ajay Singh, president of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).
Manisha Moun, the prodigy will be playing in the highly-competitive 57kg featherweight category of the championship.
The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jaismine Lamboria who rose to the Quarter finals in 2022 will compete in the 60kg category.
The Asian and national champion Saweety Boora will be competing against the 81kg category. Preeti who bagged a bronze in the 2022 Asian Games and Sanamcha who emerged the national champion in the 2021 Youth world champion will be competing in their respective categories 54kg and 70kg category respectively.
The campaigner who bagged silver in the 2014 World Championships in South Korea is all set to display her phenomenal form and add a feather to the cap.
World champions Sakshi Chaudhary (52kg) and Shashi Chopra (63kg) and 2019 South Asian Games gold medallist Manju Bamboria (66kg) are bracing up to prove their caliber in the upcoming World Championships in the categories ascertained.
In the 81kg+ heavyweight category, India is foreseeing medal through the national champion Nupur Sheoran.
The event will witness a grand prize pool of Rs 20 crore — Rs 10 crores allocated for the gold medallists. Boxers who are the runners-up in their respective categories also the bronze prize winners will bag prizes worth Rs 5 crores respectively.
Indian squad: Nitu Ghanghas (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (52kg), Preeti (54kg), Manisha Moun (57kg), Jaismine Lamboria (60kg), Shashi Chopra (63kg), Manju Bamboria (66kg), Sanamcha Chanu (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Saweety Boora (81kg) and Nupur Sheoran (81+kg).
