Former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) was among three Indian women boxers to enter the finals of the Strandja Memorial Tournament on Monday in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Zareen defeated Poland’s Sandra Drabik 3-2 in an intense see-saw battle. Others who made the last-four stage were Manju Rani (48kg) and Meena Kumari Devi (54kg). While Rani got the better of Bulgaria’s Emi-Mari Todorova, Devi beat Russia’s Ekaterina Sycheva.
Devi had won a bronze medal at the previous edition of the tournament which marks the beginning of the European boxing calendar. India had won 11 medals at the 2018 edition, two of them being gold.
In the men’s draw, Asian Games gold-medallist Amit Panghal (49kg) is the lone Indian challenger left in fray after advancing to the semifinals on Sunday.
