Commonwealth Games champion Nikhat Zareen stayed on course at the World Boxing Championships 2025 in Liverpool with a 5-0 win over Japan’s Yuna Nishinaka in the women’s 51kg pre-quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old Indian boxer, competing in her first international outing of the year, was tested in the opening round but quickly stamped her authority to close out a unanimous decision.
Zareen had announced her return to the international ring on Saturday with a 5-0 win over the USA’s Pan American Games silver medallist Jennifer Lozano in the first round.
The Indian pugilist is now just one victory away from a guaranteed medal at the inaugural edition of the global showpiece, which has drawn over 550 boxers from more than 65 countries, including 17 Paris 2024 medallists.
Three other Indian women are also just a win away from a podium finish, while five more will step into the ring later in the day for their respective pre-quarterfinals.
Indian men, however, faced defeats on Monday night. Sachin (60kg) bowed out 4-1 against Kazakhstan’s Biibars Zhexen, Sumit (75kg) lost 5-0 to Bulgaria’s Rami Kiwan, and Narender (90+kg) exited after a 4-1 defeat to Italy’s Diego Lenzi.
In the women’s 65kg division, Neeraj Phogat fought valiantly but went down 3-2 to England’s Sacha Hickey.
Earlier in the tournament, Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain endured a disappointing outing with a second-round exit in the women’s 75kg on Saturday.