Mary Kom beats Nikhat Zareen, reaches Olympic qualifiers

New Delhi: Mary Kom beat Nikhat Zareen in the 51kg final of the women’s trials for the Indian team that will travel to China in February for the Asia/Oceania Olympic qualifiers. In keeping with the build-up to the bout which involved both camps exchanging words in public over several months, it was followed by dramatic scenes at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium complex in New Delhi with officials of the Telangana Boxing Council stating that they will lodge an official protest with the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

The match looked a far closer affair than the 9-1 result suggested. Both pugilists locked on each other a number of times and were for the most part unable to land clean punches. Supporters from both sides were vehemently cheering their boxers and when the result was announced, Telangana officials present at the venue angrily protested it.

On Friday, Mary Kom had defeated her opponent Ritu Grewal in a unanimous decision while Zareen too had outclassed current national champion Jyoti Gulia, in a unanimous decision to set-up a high-octane clash for Saturday.

Saturday’s match was a culmination of months of build-up which started with Nikhat not being given a chance to stake a claim in the Indian contingent that went to the Women’s Boxing World championships earlier in the year.

In 69kg, Lovlina Borgohain qualified to represent India defeating Lalita in an easy contest. IANS

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