Nikhat Zareen: Unknown Facts About The Indian Boxer!

Nikhat Zareen, also known by the nickname Nikki, is an Indian boxer. Her major achievements include winning the gold medal at three prestigious championships. They are the 2011 AIBA Women’s Youth & Junior World Boxing Championships, the 2022 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

She also holds the record of being the fifth Indian female boxer to win a gold medal at the IBA World Boxing Championships. Nikhat has a massive fan following on social media with 223000 followers on Instagram and 113000 followers on Facebook.

Nikhat Zareen Physical Stats

Family

Born on 14 June 1996, Nikhat hails from an Orthodox Muslim family in  Nizamabad. Her father Mohammad Jameel Ahmed works as sales person and her mother Parveen Sultana is a housewife. Nikhat also has three sisters and she is the third daughter of her parents.

Education

Nikhat completed her school education at the Nirmala Hrudaya Girls High School in Nizamabad. Later, she joined AV College in Hyderabad, Telangana, and is now pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.).

Controversies

The tug-of war-between Nikhat and Mary Com, the legend of Indian boxing has always been a hot topic. In October 2019, Nikhat had written an open letter to Kiren Rijiju, the then Sports Minister demanding a trial bout with Mary Kom. The Boxing Federation had selected Mary directly based on her gold-winning performances in the India Open and the President’s Cup.  

In December 2019, there was an infamous incident where Mary refused to shake hands with Nikhat after winning a match against her. It was during the qualifying match for the China Olympics that Mary defeated her opponent 9-1.

Later while commenting on the incident, Mary said that Nikhat should first respect others. She also asked why she should shake hands with Nikhat. Mary went on to say that if Nikhat wants others to respect her, then she should also respect others. The Manipuri boxer revealed that she does not like people of such a nature and stated that one has to prove their point inside the ring and not outside.

It stirred a controversy when Mary once asked “ Who is Nikhat Zareen?”. 

Profession

In 2009, when she was studying in 8th standard, Nikhat joined boxing. Prior to that, she used to be an athlete in short-distance races. Nikhat’s father’s friend was a boxing coach and the young Nikhat used to often see him training many boys. Out of curiosity, Nikhat asked her father why girls were missing to which her father replied that only a few girls were courageous enough to take up boxing. Since that day, Nikhat decided to prove to everyone that even girls can become boxers and thus she got into boxing. In the initial days, Nikhat trained under her father for a year.

In 2009, she was made to join the Sports Authority of India at Visakhapatnam to train under IV Rao, the Dronacharya awardee. The following year Nikhat was named ‘golden best boxer’ at the Erode Nationals. 

In March 2010, the announcement came out that a sub-junior nationals tournament will be held and Nikhat got permission to participate in the tournament. Later, at the Senior nationals, she went on to win the bronze medal. In 2011, she emerged as the gold medal winner in the flyweight division at the AIBA Women’s Junior and Youth World Boxing Championship held in Turkey. 

Apart from her coveted achievements mentioned in the introductory section, Nikhat also went on to win a silver medal in the Youth World Boxing Championship in 2014 and a gold medal at the third Nations Cup International Boxing Tournament in the same year. She also won a silver medal at the Thailand Open International Boxing Tournament in 2019 and a gold medal at the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in both 2019 and 2022.

Source Of Income

Reportedly, Nikhat’s net worth stands at $1 million. Apart from her revenue from boxing, she also endorses reputed brands such as Adidas, NMDC, and Nizamabad, her hometown.

Lesser Known Facts About Nikhat Zareen

• If a biopic is made on her, Nikhat wants Hindi actress Ali Bhatt to portray her character. According to the boxer, they both have some physical traits in common and she is a great fan of Alia’s acting.

• When Nikhat goes to a competition, her must-carry items are her phone, a speaker, and her training kit. If it’s a personal vacation, she would also carry packed eatables along with her phone and speaker.

• Since her teenage days, Nikhat was inspired by Mary Kom. 

• She recollects that being a woman athlete, especially hailing from a Muslim family, it was really tough for her to deal with the social pressure. Those days people used to criticize her for wearing shorts and sandals and asked her to remain at home as they believed that boxing is a sport not meant for women.  

• When she met Bollywood actor Salman Khan, Nikhat danced with him and posted that video on her Instagram account with the hashtags dream come true and fan moment.

• In the initial days when Nikhat got into boxing, her mother was skeptical about her choice. However, her father has always been very supportive right from the beginning. 

• According to Nikhat, she has never accepted defeat in life.

• When it comes to solo traveling, Bali and Kashmir are the two places on the top of her bucket list. If it’s a family vacation, she would choose Manali.

• When asked about whether she is a mountain or beach person, she says that she is always a mountain person as she loves greenery and fresh air.

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