Asian Games 2023: Nikhat and Lovlina headline India’s challenge in the boxing ring

For a sport with widely held notions of strength and masculinity in popular culture, boxing in India has been headlined mainly by women in recent times. As the sport with the fourth-highest medal count for India at the Asian Games, it has contributed 57 medals, but the inclusion of the women’s category in 2010 has seen the focus shifting to them. Not surprisingly, India’s biggest hopes this time around too rest largely on the Nikhat Zareen-Lovlina Borgohain duo, both on a high after winning gold at the World Championships in March at home earlier this year. While Nikhat won her second gold, Lovlina added one to her burgeoning kitty that also includes an Olympic bronze. The two would be the biggest stars of the Indian challenge in Hangzhou.

For a sport with widely held notions of strength and masculinity in popular culture, boxing in India has been headlined mainly by women in recent times.

As the sport with the fourth-highest medal count for India at the Asian Games, it has contributed 57 medals, but the inclusion of the women’s category in 2010 has seen the focus shifting to them.

Not surprisingly, India’s biggest hopes this time around too rest largely on the Nikhat Zareen-Lovlina Borgohain duo, both on a high after winning gold at the World Championships in March at home earlier this year. While Nikhat won her second gold, Lovlina added one to her burgeoning kitty that also includes an Olympic bronze. The two would be the biggest stars of the Indian challenge in Hangzhou.

Although that event was marked by abstention from the USA and most European countries in protest against allowing boxers from Belarus and Russia to participate, the Asian presence was in full strength and there are high expectations from both to go all the way in Hangzhou.

Among the men, the focus will be on Deepak Bhoria (51kg) and Nishant Dev (71kg), bronze medallists at the 2023 World Championships in Tashkent.

The other big name under the spotlight will be the experienced Shiva Thapa in the 63kg, who has not exactly been setting the ring on fire in the last few years but would be keen to add an elusive Asiad medal to his collection.

While Bhoria played second fiddle for long to Amit Panghal before moving ahead of the senior pro to be the first choice pugilist, Dev has battled injuries and surgeries over years to finally start living up to his potential.