Indian women’s boxing has been going through an interesting journey – the rise of fearless young contenders with fears of drowning in the form of veteran stars. Nakht Zareen And Lolina Borgohen. As the countdown to major events like the CWG and Asian Games quickens, head coach Santiago Nueva is optimistic about the depth of talent and long-term goals, including the 2028 Olympics, reflecting the team’s mixed performance at the Asian Championships. Excerpts from an interview…How do you rate India’s overall performance in the recent Asian Boxing Meet?India’s overall performance was the best since the men’s and women’s events were combined in 2019. Apart from the numbers, what stands out is the quality of performance and the caliber of opponents that our boxers overcame.
What were the positive and important areas of concern?The consistency between what we observed in training and the way our boxers delivered was a huge positive. They replicated this level against strong opposition.It shows that we are competing at the very highest level and winning. Another encouraging aspect was the consistency shown in close contests, where our boxers managed to remain calm under pressure and still secure results. At the same time, there are some areas that we need to improve.Our aim is always high — not everyone won gold and not every boxer performed at their peak. With the Olympics ahead, every nation will be raising their bar, so it’s vital that we develop quickly and stay ahead of the competition.
Santiago Nueva
Young talent Priya Ganghas Winning gold in the Olympic category (60kg) is a big boost…On paper, Priya was not the favorite to win, but she proved it with her performance in the ring. We were already aware of the talent he has shown in India, as well as during his appearances in Spain. The way he handled and defeated experienced, high-quality opponents was particularly impressive.How do you analyze Nakhta and Lulina’s early exits?I would say that Nakht largely delivered what could be expected from an unbiased perspective. We believe that she has the ability and qualities to turn the tables in a future match against Wu Yu (the reigning Olympic champion of China). Lulina proved to be a tough match against a strong opponent (Uzbekistan’s Aziza Zukerova), where there were a few technical errors on the court that we will need to work on.How do the two boxers fit into your long-term plans?Both Nikhat and Lovlina are clear favorites and are strong medal contenders in any event. However, a key difference lies in their current competitive landscape locally. Nakht is part of a very strong weight category in India, where he faces stiff internal competition and has to consistently outclass other top boxers to secure his spot in the big events.Nakht has to go through a very competitive evaluation process, especially keeping in mind the selection of events like CWG and Asian Games. Lulina has excelled in her weight category at the domestic level. While this could always change, at the moment it allows him to focus more on preparing for international competition.With CWG and Asian Games coming up, what are the immediate priorities for the team?At the moment, we have two groups within the team – those who have already secured their spots for the CWG, and those who will go through the second round of evaluation scheduled for mid-May. Also, the plan is to have at least one international preparatory competition before the CWG.
