Boxer Nikhat Zareen: Ukraine's Tetiana Kob was fighting like a beast

Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen poses with the gold medal at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria recently. (r) Tetyana Kob of Ukraine. PIC/Getty Images

Nikhat Zareen, who became the first Indian boxer to claim two gold medals at the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria (this year and 2019), considers her win special. In the 52kg final, Zareen defeated Ukraine's Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championships medallist, 4-1. In the semis, the Hyderabadi registered a 4-1 win over Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Buse Naz Cakiroglu.

"I'm really happy and proud to achieve this feat of winning my second gold in this tournament. This win is very special because it was the first tournament of the year and I finished the way I wanted. Also, I defeated a very experienced and decorated boxer [Buse Naz Cakiroglu] before winning the gold. So, it's certainly going to boost my confidence for the upcoming tournaments this year," Zareen told www.mid-day.com.

Describing her "messy and draining" final bout against Kob, Zareen said: "There was a lot of clinching and holding in the final and it was messy and draining. She [Kob] is very strong and was fighting like a beast, but I kept calm and scored some clean punches which helped me to secure the first and and second round unanimously. But in the third round I got tired and she kept coming with wild punches. I won in the end. I was very relieved and happy. My toughest bout against with Cakiroglu [Buse Naz] in the semis. She is not just a strong boxer, but a very decorated one too. My only motive was that no matter what, I have to give my 100 per cent best till the final bell."

Having lost to six-time world champion MC Mary Kom in the trial bout for a berth in the Tokyo Olympics qualifiers in 2019, Zareen now wants to shift focus on the Paris Games.

"No, I don't think about it [qualifiers] at all. I've moved on from that long back and there's no turning back. I just keep myself focused on my ultimate dream and work hard every day to achieve it. My short-term goals are the upcoming World championships [May 6-21 in Istanbul, Turkey], Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games [July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham]. Currently, I'm just thinking about the upcoming trials for these tournaments. My long-term goal and the ultimate dream is definitely the Paris Olympics 2024," explained Zareen, who draws inspiration from people she meets in day-to-day life, who are fighting daily battles to realise their dreams.