Liverpool [UK], September 9 : India pugilist Nikhat Zareen continued her march in the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool on Tuesday with a 5:0 win over Japan's Yuma Nishinaka in the women's 51kg pre-quarter-finals.
The 29-year-old faced a spirited fight from the Japanese in the opening round, but there was no stopping the Indian, who is playing her first international event this year. In fact, the Japanese even received two penalty points for excessive clinching as she tried to break Nikhat's rhythm.
Before entering the pre-quarter-finals, Nikhat, who was crowned world champion twice before, had not competed in any international event this year, but did not show any signs of rustiness as she dominated the USA's Jennifer Lozano from the first minute to get a 5-0 verdict.
India has fielded a 20-member contingent at the inaugural World Championships being held under the aegis of the World Boxing, a recently formed international governing body for boxing, and is hoping for a good showing in both men's and women's events.
Three more women boxers are also just a win away from the podium, and five more are set to take the rink in their respective pre-quarterfinal bout later in the day.
However, it was the end of the road for Sachin (men's 60kg), Sumit (Men's 75kg) and Narender (men's 90+kg) as they lost their respective bout late on Monday night.
Sachin went down 1:4 to Biibars Zhexen of Kazakhstan, Sumit lost to Rami Kiwan of Bulgaria 0:5, while Narender's ended on the wrong side of a 1:4 verdict against Diego Lenzi of Italy. In the women's 65kg pre-quarterfinals, Neeraj Phogat's spirited fight against England's Sacha Hickey was not enough as she lost 2:3.
Earlier, World Boxing Cup Astana gold medallist Jaismine Lamboria booked her quarterfinal spot in the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool with a dominant win over two-time Olympian Brazil's Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu in the women's 57kg category.
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