I still wonder how I got punched up so badly? I am sure that I will return the favour the next time.” Yes, those were the promising words of Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen after her first-ever sparring session at the age of 12, which resulted in a black eye and a bloody nose. Although the bashing brought tears to her mother’s eyes, it was clear from Nikhat’s first day in the ring that she did not take losing lightly. And perhaps, this come-back-stronger attitude is what helped her win the gold medal at the women’s boxing world championships on May 20, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Courageous and always upbeat, that’s Nikhat Zareen, India’s new women’s boxing champion. By clinching gold in the World Boxing Championship on Thursday — Nikhat out-punched Thailand’s Jitpong Jutamas by a unanimous 5-0 verdict in the flyweight (52kg) final — might have catapulted Nikhat Zareen to stardom back home, but only she and her family know how much hard work they had to put in for her to stand on the podium in Istanbul.

As a matter of fact, Nikhat Zareen’s journey from a quaint neighbourhood in Nizamabad, Telangana to the top of the world was filled with obstacles. Speaking to Hello Vizag on Friday evening, the proud father Jameel Ahmed told that “Nikhat has seen too many obstacles in her young life and  I always pray no child goes through what she has faced. Wth this stupendous achievement, she will get a world of confidence”.

So, three years at a stretch, I had to keep on boosting her morale, Jameel said. Yes, at her age, setbacks could have led to disaster. She used to patiently listen to me and her coach (Chiranjeevi) and we presumed clearly that she has the talent to make a name for herself on the world stage,” said Jameel, who had played football at one level during his younger days, said. 

Throughout the pandemic-induced lockdown, Nikhat practiced on the terrace of her Shaikpet residence and used to upload her videos on social media. Revealing further Jameel said “the international boxing federation and the Indian boxing federation (BFI) praised the way she was keeping herself fit,”

In spite of excelling in the short sprints, boxing is what caught Nikhat’s attention. “When we were at the stadium once, there were girls participating in every sport apart from boxing,” Nikhat told Hello Vizag. Is boxing only for boys? Often, I asked my father why there were no girls competing in boxing. My father said, “ certainly no”. Usually, they don’t box because people expect girls are meant to stay at home and do housework.” 

Initially, Nikhat’s mother, Praveen, was not too happy with the decision, instead concerned about who would marry Nikhat, the support from her father was enough to kick start her boxing career. Nikhat spent the early years sparring with boys since she was the only girl boxing in the local gym.

After a year of training with her father, Nikhat was put under the wings of Dronacharya awardee,  IV Rao, in 2009. The results soon followed. She claimed the sub-junior national title and followed it up with a gold medal at the Junior and Youth World Championships in 2011 and silver at the Youth World Championships in 2013 and soon began her difficult transition to the senior circuit.

Just after winning the gold medal, Nikhat had said “these two years, I focused on my game only and I tried to improve whatever the weaknesses were there in my game”. We found the embers of victory during the women’s national boxing championships in October last year in Hisar. With a confident smile on his face, Jameel said  “not only did she win the gold, but she has also adjudged the best boxer”.

Now, Nikhat’s next mission will be a medal at the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham in July-August in the 50kg weight category. From now onwards I will prepare for the 50 kg division in CWG, Nikhat said. With palpable gut feeling, Jameel said the main target is a medal in the Paris Olympics in a little more than two years. 

As a diligent sports person, Nikhat used to watch her friend from the days of JSW’s Inspire Institute of Sport, Neeraj Chopra, win javelin gold in Tokyo on television. Definitely, she will have a chance to become the first boxer to win gold in Paris and this would be a precise and perfect answer to  ‘who Nikhat Zareen’.