Major Setback for Nikhat Zareen, Boxing Star Likely to Miss Asian Games

Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen is set to miss the upcoming Asian Games and Commonwealth Games after suffering a shock defeat in the national selection trials at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala.

Competing in the women’s 51kg semi-finals on Thursday, Nikhat lost 1-4 to Sakshi Chaudhary, ending her hopes of making India’s squad for the major international events.

The defeat marks another setback in a difficult phase for the 29-year-old boxer, whose recent performances have been inconsistent. In another surprise result in the same weight category, Meenakshi defeated Nitu Ghanghas, paving the way for a reshaped Indian lineup.

Nikhat had been forced to compete in the trials after failing to earn direct qualification at last month’s Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, where she lost 0-5 in the semi-finals to China’s Olympic gold medallist Wu Yu. Only finalists from that tournament were granted automatic entry into the Asian Games squad.

Wu Yu has emerged as a major hurdle in Nikhat’s recent career, having also beaten the Indian boxer during the Paris Olympics campaign.

Meanwhile, boxers like Sachin Siwach, Preeti Pawar and Priya Ghanghas had already sealed their spots through direct qualification.

The trials were held amid ongoing tensions between the Sports Authority of India and the Boxing Federation of India over the federation’s now-scrapped “marking-based” selection policy. The system had faced criticism for allegedly lacking transparency, prompting intervention from the Sports Ministry and a return to open sparring trials.

With Nikhat now out of contention, Indian boxing is expected to field a revamped squad for the 2026 international season.