Nikhat Zareen Reigning World Boxing Champion

A quick talk with the World Champion in Boxing.

- Vijayan Bala

Nikhat Zareen, born on 14th June 1996 in the Nizamabad district of Telangana, is the current world champion in the 52 kg category and won the gold at the 2022 IBA World Boxing Championship in Istanbul. She recently won the gold medal in the 50 kg category at the 2022 CWG at Birmingham. As Nikhat, a bank officer is considered to be a future Olympic medal prospect, she is included in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) of the Sports Authority of India. I spoke to Nikhat about her recent 2022 CWG win, becoming a world champion and her career.

Before I ask you questions about your career to date, Nikhat, please tell readers about your CWG success. It was my debut in the CWG. I am happy that I adjusted to my new weight category and won in a convincing manner. But my greatest satisfaction was to win the gold and give it as a birthday gift to my mother. Both my parents have always supported me.

At what age did you start Boxing, and how? I started boxing in 2009. During the Summer Games, I was walking with my father in the stadium. I saw girls in all the sports except Boxing. I asked my dad why there are no girls in boxing. My dad told me that it's a game that involves fighting and the risks of facing injuries, and people believe that Boxing is only for men and not for women. That thought struck me hard, and then I decided to take up Boxing and prove that girls can also do well in this sport.

Who was the person who taught you the basics, and when did you first get trained in a systematic and scientific manner? My coach who taught me the basics was Md. Shamsuddin from Nizamabad district. I started training in a systematic and scientific manner at the end of 2009.