Boxing: Nikhat Zareen off to flying start at Elorda Cup

Reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen (52kg) began Indian campaign with a convincing 5-0 win against local challenger Rakhymberdi Zhansaya on the opening day of the Elorda Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Zareen is leading 21-member Indian Challenge in this competition.

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Minakshi (48kg) also made her way into the next round with a 4-1 victory over Gassymova Roxana of Kazakhstan.

Anamika, on the other hand, defeated Zhumabayeva Arailym with a referee stop the contest (RSC) win in the first round of the 50kg category bout.

Meanwhile, Ishmeet Singh (75kg) and Sonia (54kg) bowed out after losing 0-5 against Kazakhstan’s Armanuly Armat and China’s Chang Yuan respectively.

Six-time Asian Championships medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Sanjay (80kg) and Gaurav Chauhan (92+) will be in action later alongside three others

The prestigious tournament has been witnessing the participation of pugilists from strong boxing nations such as Kazakhstan, China, India, Japan and Uzbekistan.