Nikhat Zareen's quarterfinal performance at the Asian Games 2023 was a masterclass in boxing grace

 Nikhat Zareen's quarterfinal performance at the Asian Games 2023 was a masterclass in boxing grace.

Next comes a traditional quarterfinal, a contest between sweet science (Hanan Nassar of Jordan) and grace (Nikhat Zareen) that will test punching power, stamina, and quickness.

Cho Rong Bak of Korea was kept at bay by Indian Nikhat Zareen's weaving and toe-bobbling as she advanced to the 2023 Asian Games quarterfinals. (Artwork by Suneesh K.)

The Asian Games boxing competitions were held at the Hangzhou Gymnasium, where two Raging Bulls made a visit. Amateur boxing in all its appeal was taking place among the blood, gore, spittle, and flying sweat: flying punches, a pair of matadors sparring despite cuts around their eyes that had opened up like sliced fruit. The arena was buzzing by the middle of the first round, like a 100 megawatt burst of electricity.

However, before all of this, India's Nikhat Zareen exemplified the finest of flyweight boxing with her weaving, coordination, and toe-bobbling as she defeated Korea's Cho Rong Bak to advance to the quarterfinals.

Before Zareen entered the ring, Hanan Nassar of Jordan, a dancer who was also a boxer, ordered the battle to be stopped at the conclusion of the first round. With her smile boosting the intensity of the ring lights, Nassar skittered into the arena. Vilayphone from Laos was no match. Nassar jabbered away with her greater reach as she danced around her. The Laotian's face swelled under the seemingly gentle left-right combinations: feint to the left, feint to the right, and out of nowhere, the left jab flew out, rocking the Laotian on her heels. Boxing was sweeter than candy in this case. Punches and combinations were thrown with ease. Nassar personified the cheers and awes of boxing, gliding over the ring like a gull at sea and sending a breeze sweeping over the venue.

Arriving precisely and with a grasp of the task, Nikhat Zareen. Bak comes right out. At first, Zareen crept forward while avoiding being caught. Bak would have had the advantage of coming in early and impressing the judges with a couple punches. The Indian world champion will not do any of that. A left-right combo stopped Bak in the middle of the opening round as Zareen's sweat glistened bright silver off her shoulders. Bak then shook her head to remove the confusion.

Bak came in with his defenses down to slam a right because he knew Zareen would reel off points like a deck of cards being riffled on the roulette table; it was the Korean's strength, her sole strength.

In the second round, Zareen wouldn't make a mistake—a left would knock the Korean unconscious. Zareen would then score off a left-right followed by a right, flush on the jaw, in the middle while crouching low. When Bak's options were running out, he made a kamikaze attack. Zareen stopped the Korean once again in her tracks by swaying back elegantly on her heels.

The third round had seen Bak subdued. Zareen was effortlessly striking her. The Indian only needed to perform a few combos while dancing all over the court; the judges, in any case, had seen enough.

The classic quarterfinal between Nassar, the gold medalist from the Arab Games, and Zareen, the Indian World Champion, will feature a battle of strength, quickness, and punching prowess. Be there if you want to hear three rounds of both Louis Armstrong and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Zeinullinov Yertugan and Usmonov Bakhodur are contrasted.

A cut must be dealt with immediately in the battle that personified the extreme end of the boxing spectrum but was nonetheless rather attractive. The Kazak, Zeinullinov Yertugan, went to the cutman twice in the second round. The substance they utilize is adrenalin, which is injected into the cut at a ratio of one to one thousand. Then, pray that the punches will glide off the surface, cover it with petroleum jelly.

Through the three rounds, it was predator and prey, with each becoming the other. After a brief period of getting to know one another, the 63.5 kilogram battle began. Ullinov forced the Bakhodur into a corner and started to set up his defense as if he were holding a butcher's cleaver. Following that, there was a series of punches that resembled a windmill on steroids as each opponent went at the other until Ullinov connected with a right that forced Bakhodur's head to the right. He had an open wound above his right eye.

The frantic pace persisted in the second round. It was like running the 800m at a sprint speed as Ullinov, the better boxer technically, whipped in lefts and rights while maintaining the tempo. A small stream of blood ran down the Kazakh's cheek from the wound surrounding his eye. It was a slugfest as both players took punches from both sides, and you could practically feel the steam rising above the court as they battled against the crowd's enthusiasm.

Apart from the boxers, one feels bad for the judges because Zeinullinov Yertugan won by a score of 3-2 despite the fight being so strong, with so much power being used yet so little being given.

Despite receiving a standing count twice, Yertugan ended up being the final man standing. According to Nicola Adams, a two-time Olympic champion, "Life is like a boxing match; victory is decided not when you fall but after you refuse to stand again."