Nikhat and Nitu enter semis to stay on course for a medal at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament

India’s Nikhat Zareen and Nitu punched their way to the semifinals in their respective weight categories at the ongoing 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria on Thursday.

While the 25-year-old Nikhat outclassed England’s Charley Davision by a unanimous 5-0 verdict in the 52kg category, Nitu pulled off an equally impressive victory by a similar margin against Italy’s Roberta Bonatti in 48kg.

Nikhat, winner of the gold medal at the 2019 edition of the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament, showcased tremendous skills to sail through to the last four stage of the competition.

She maintained her aggressive approach throughout the match and denied her opponent the chance to gain the upper hand.

Nitu, who hails from Haryana, too dominated her bout. She made best use of her long reach to keep the Italian boxer at bay.

With Nikhat and Nitu entering the semi-finals, India is assured of three medals at Europe’s oldest international boxing tournament.

Earlier on Tuesday, Nandini (+81kg) confirmed the first medal for the country at the ongoing championships, which has witnessed the presence of over 450 boxers from 36 countries around the world. Strong boxing nations such as Kazakhstan, Italy, Russia and France are participating in this tournament, making it one of the prestigious events on the calendar.

Later tonight, reigning youth world champion Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) and Praveen (63kg) will compete in the quarter-finals.

On Wednesday night, Sumit and Anamika’s challenge ended after suffering defeats in their respective matches. While Anamika lost to Algerian boxer Roumaysa Boualem 4-1 in the women’s 50kg quarter-finals, Sumit conceded a defeat against Ukraine’s Oleksander Khyzhniak by a unanimous margin in the men’s 75kg second-round match.

A 17-member Indian contingent, including seven men and 10 women, is participating in the ongoing tournament, which will be played till February 27.