Who is Nikhat Zareen, the Indian boxer who is turning heads at Boxing World Championships?

25-year-old Nikhat Zareen defeated Brazil's Caroline De Almeida in the semi-final of the ongoing IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Istanbul on Wednesday and stormed her way into the finals. Zareen, a former junior world champion, stayed calm and composed during the match and ended up picking a 5-0 win by a unanimous decision after dominating Almeida in the 52-kg-category. Alongside, Nikhat, Manisha Moun (57kg) and Parveen Hooda (63kg) are scheduled to feature in their respective semi-finals later in the day.

Nikhat will be now hoping to clinch the gold medal in the finals and join an elite list of Indian women boxers to win a world title. The six-time champion MC Mary Kon, Sarita Devi, Jenny RL and Lekha C are the only Indian women boxers to win a world title. Having said that, the best performance for India in the event came back in 2006, when India won eight medals in total, which included four gold, one silver and three bronze.

Who is Nikhat Zareen? A deep dive into the boxer's career

Born on June 14, 1996, in the Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh, which is now in Telangana, Zareen completed her primary education in Nizamabad and is currently pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the AV College in Hyderabad. Early on in her career, she was inducted into the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Vishakapatnam, to train under the Dronacharya awardee, IV Rao in 2009. Her talent in the sport was undeniable as she was declared the ‘golden best boxer’ at the Erode Nationals in 2010. 

A look at Nikhat Zareen's achievements

She was shot into the public eye after winning the gold medal in the flyweight division of the AIBA Women's Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship in Turkey. She later picked up a silver medal in the Youth World Boxing Championships in 2014, which was held in Bulgaria. It followed a gold medal-winning performance at the Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament held in Novi Sad, Serbia.

She added another gold medal to her tally by winning the 16th Senior Woman National Boxing Championships, held in Assam, in 2015. She also went on to claim a silver medal at the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament held in Bangkok in 2019. At the same time, she has also won two gold medals at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in 2019 and 2022.