"This medal is for my country India," says Nikhat Zareen

NEW DELHI: Nikhat Zareen who claimed her second World Boxing Championship gold and retained the title on Sunday said this was the toughest competition she was a part of in her career and dedicated her medal to India.

Becoming only the second Indian female to have two World Championships gold medals to her name, the country's illustrious pugilist Nikhat Zareen capped off an outstanding campaign at the Mahindra IBA Women's World Boxing Championship with a stunning victory in the finals at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex here on Sunday.

Living up to her name, the tenacious Nikhat (50kg) outclassed class in her rampant display against the two-time Asian champion Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam and secured a thumping 5-0 win. The reigning World Champion asserted her dominance in the bout from the word go by landing accurate punches and using her quick feet to dodge the Vietnamese's attacks.

"I am happy that I became World Champion for the 2nd time. I am grateful to all those who supported me. This medal is for my country India. This was a difficult competition but in the end, I won a gold medal," Nikhat Zareen told ANI.

With this victory, Nikhat became only the second Indian female pugilist to win two golds at the World Championships alongside the boxing legend Mary Kom who claimed a record six gold medals in the competition.

Following Nikhat's triumph, India now have a total of three golds in their kitty at the tournament after the 2022 Commonwealth Games medallist Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) and three-time Asian medallist Saweety Boora (81kg) also won gold for the hosts on Saturday.

Later tonight, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain will look to add a fourth gold medal to India's tally when she takes to the ring to face the two-time Commonwealth Games medallist Caitlin Parker of Australia in her finals bout.