Nikhat Zareen: Golden Gloves

BACK IN 2019, Mary Kom turned to a reporter quizzing about her challenger Nikhat Zareen, and asked, “Who is she?”

It was a cheap shot. Zareen, a young emerging boxer then who had idolised Kom all her life, was asking for a trial bout with the senior Manipuri boxer to decide who of the two should be sent to the Tokyo Olympic qualifier. But Kom seemed incensed. She had fought great odds throughout her life to craft one of India’s most celebrated sport careers, but now she appeared unwilling to concede the stage and annoyed at being asked to prove herself. The Boxing Federation of India finally gave in to Zareen’s request and an acrimonious bout followed. Kom won the match, but even refused to shake hands. “It took a few weeks, I think. But eventually, I realised there’s no point in crying about it,” Zareen later told Olympic Channel. “My only focus since then has been to work even harder and come back strong… I believe everything happens for a good reason.”

Less than four years since that episode, no one, not even Kom, can claim they do not know her. It became clear earlier this week that Zareen is arguably India’s best pugilist since Kom when she won a World Championship gold. Zareen beat Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Tham in the 50kg final, and in the process, became only the second Indian after Kom to have won more than a single gold at the competition.

Zareen, who hails from Nizamabad in Telangana, had gravitated to boxing, it is said, as a 13-year-old when she learnt that a tournament in the area had women participants in all sport but boxing. Her father is believed to have said this was because no girl had the guts to enrol herself. Zareen took this on as a challenge. And even though her father wanted her to become a sprinter, she thrust herself headlong into boxing.

It wasn’t easy, especially outside the ring. Zareen comes from a conservative background. While her immediate family supported her decision, there were many in the extended family and neighbourhood aghast to see her in vests and training shorts, returning home with bruises, and they would often taunt and push the family to get Zareen to give up on her boxing dreams.

Within the ring however she was peerless, and the young boxer rose rapidly through the ranks. But there was a problem at the elite level. The weight category she competed in just happened to have the country’s most celebrated boxer—Kom. If Zareen had to make her mark, she couldn’t glove her knuckles when knocking at the door anymore.

Since that acrimonious bout between Kom and Zareen, the Telangana boxer has emerged as India’s best female boxer. She has gone without losing a single bout for a long time now, and in the process, won a clutch of gold medals in the last couple of years—from the 2022 Strandja Memorial Tournament and Commonwealth Games to the two World Championships titles now.

This particular one was probably among her hardest competitions so far. Zareen had to lose around three or four kilograms to qualify for the 50kg category. She has moved to this category from the 52kg one since the former is part of the 2024 Olympics competition. The tournament schedule also did her no favours. To win gold, Zareen had to go through six bouts, including three exhausting back-to-back ones.

What does this win mean for Zareen? It is no secret that she has her eyes set on the Paris Olympics next year. Having failed to qualify for the last one in dramatic fashion, she wants to more than make up for the coming one. If she wins a medal at the upcoming Asian Games, for which she has already qualified, she will secure her ticket to the Olympics in Paris. If there is one thing this World Championship gold confirms, it is that Zareen has long past emerged from the shadow of her famous idol. She is now writing her own script.

boxingMary KomNikhat Zareenwomen athleteWorld Championships