Nikhat Zareen off to flying start at Elorda Cup 2024, beats Kazakhstan’s Zhansaya 5-0

Astana (Kazakhstan): Reigning world champion Nikhat Zareen (52kg) began her campaign with a convincing 5-0 win against Kazakhstan’s Rakhymberdi Zhansaya on the opening day of the Elorda Cup 2024 here.

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

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 on Tuesday alongside three other Indian boxers.

The Boxing Federation of India has sent a 21-member squad for the prestigious tournament which has been witnessing the participation of pugilists from strong boxing nations such as Kazakhstan, China, India, Japan and Uzbekistan.