Indian boxer Nitu Ghanghas, whose all-aggressive approach landed her in the semifinals of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship, changed tactics to suit the situation and, with a display of controlled aggression, won her bout and reached the final. .
It took Nitu just over seven minutes in three bouts to reach the semifinals – he won all three via RSC (ref stops the contest), which occurs when the bout goes one-sided. But on Thursday, when he faced an equally aggressive opponent, he showed that he could literally think on his feet.
Her opponent in the semifinal, reigning Asian champion and 2022 world silver medalist Alua Balkibekova, put pressure on Nitu early on and forced her to catch up early on.
Balkibekova threw Nitu to the canvas in the first 20 seconds of the fight and the Indian looked unsure. She struggled to find her rhythm in the first round and couldn’t find her footing as she took numerous punches to the face. The boxer from Kazakhstan won the round 3:2.
Their previous fights had been one-sided; Nitu dominating his opponents completely. “He wanted to play and fight all three rounds, but RSC ho gayi (but an RSC was awarded),” he said after his first two wins, and now in this semi-final he was getting more than he bargained for.
�� Nitu Ghangas breaks into the final of the World Boxing Championship;
Secured Silver Medal ������#Boxing #WWCHDelhi pic.twitter.com/bDpyd166nv
— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) March 23, 2023
A quick drink of water at the break and Nitu went on the offensive early on in round 2. He held his ground and held back through most parts before unleashing his straight right hand jab whenever he found space. It was this precise blow that led the referee to award him the victory in his first two bouts.
Nitu needed space to execute her shots, but Balkibekova, who had beaten Nitu in the quarterfinals of the same event last year, gave her little space. He stayed in Nitu’s face and kept grappling with her and there wasn’t much boxing after one point. But Nitu’s last combo punches were enough for her to win the round 4:1.
Head coach Bhaskar Bhatt says it’s Nitu’s long-range punches that set her apart. “What makes her so difficult to play against is her range of shots. We notice this is her weakness and have been working on it for a year, with a special focus on the last three months. Her game is all about long-range shots: – keep your distance from the opponent, jump around the ring and hit without getting too close.”
The third round started much the same as the first, with Nitu going down to the canvas within 15 seconds. But the difference this time was that she was on the rise and had found the cracks in Balkibekova’s guard. The Kazakh ran out of gas mid-round and her tactic of attacking with a right cross was easy to read and Nitu easily evaded them. She landed some solid shots before Balkibekova killed the clock with time-wasting maneuvers.
The decision was reviewed, meaning that the decision of the five judges would also be reviewed by the supervisor and the observer, and a few nervous moments later, Nitu was victorious. For the first time in four bouts, she let out two thunderous “YES!”
After the third win, he had spoken about the need to control aggression in the ring. “If you get angry in the ring, you won’t be able to focus. It’s important to stay calm. Winning three fights via RSC is good. My next opponent will feel the pressure,” he said, and that’s exactly what he said. it worked for her in this tight semi-final.
This time it wasn’t RSC, but he went the full three rounds with a high-quality, experienced boxer and got the better of her. That should give him confidence heading into the biggest game of his career so far. Nine minutes and Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altantsetseg, who won bronze at the 2022 Asian Championships, stands between Nitu and world championship gold.
