Ace Indian boxer Nikhat Zareen (51kg) has got a tough draw while World Championships bronze medalist Nishant Dev (71kg) found a favourable draw in the boxing competitions of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In men’s 71kg, Nishant has got a bye and will face Ecuador’s Rodriguez Tenorio in his first bout. If Nishant gets past the Ecuadorian, then he may meet Mexico’s Pan American Games champion Merco Verde in the quarterfinals.
51kg world champion Nikhat Zareen will face Germany’s Maxi Klotzer in the first round and if she progresses to the second round, she will face top-seed Wu Yu of China.
A win over Wu may pit Nikhat against another strong rival, Thailand’s eighth-seeded Asian Games silver medallist Chuthamat Raksat, who had beaten the Indian in the Asian Games semis.
In the women’s 75kg category, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain will take on Norway’s Sunniva Hofstad in the first round. If Lovlina reaches the second round, then she is likely to face old rival and top-seeded two-time Olympic medallist Li Qian, who had beaten the Indian in the Asian Games gold medal match.
World champions Nikhat Zareen (50kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) have to work harder in order to get closer to medals. Former Worlds silver medallist Amit Panghal (51kg) may have a tricky outing.
Former world number one boxer Amit Panghal has got a bye in the first round and will meet African Games champion Patrick Chinyemba of Zambia in the second round.
Suppose the seasoned Indian, who beat Chinyemba in the semifinals on his way to the Commonwealth gold medal, gets past the Zambian. In that case, he will take on Thailand’s Olympian and Asian Games silver medallist Thitisan Panmot in the quarterfinals.
In the women’s 54kg category, young Preeti Pawar will take on Vietnam’s Vo Thi Kim Anh in the first round and world silver medallist Yeni Arias of Colombia. A victory may schedule Preeti’s fight against Korean Olympian Im-Ae-Ji in the last-eight of 54kg.
Last moment entry to the Olympics, Jaismine Lamboria will face Olympic silver medalist Nesthy Petecio in her campaign opener and if she manages to defeat her, European Games gold medallist Aminia Zidani will be waiting for her in the second round.