Blas Iglesias Fernandez believes Nikhat Zareen (50kg) can win a medal at this year’s Paris Olympics. However, he thinks Lovlina Borgohain’s (75kg) chances will depend on how aggressive she is in the ring.
New Delhi:
Blas Iglesias Fernandez, who used to coach men’s boxing in India, believes Nikhat Zareen can win a medal at the Paris Olympics this year. He also thinks Lovlina Borgohain, who won bronze at the Tokyo Games, can do well depending on how aggressive she is in the ring. Fernandez, who is 68 years old and from Cuba, coached men’s boxing in India for more than 20 years. He’s now been chosen by the Sports Authority of India as a High Performance Coach for two years.
Recently, Fernandez talked about India’s chances in the upcoming Summer Games while at a boxing camp in Rohtak. He said he really likes Nikhat’s boxing style because she’s smart and has good tactics in the ring. Fernandez mentioned this to SAI Media.
“He said it’s Nikhat’s turn to show what she can do. Before, she was always compared to Mary Kom, but now she has the opportunity to shine and make India proud.
The Cuban was on the coaching team when Vijender Singh won India’s first Olympic boxing medal in 2008 in Beijing.
He also made news in 2014 when he received a ban for losing his temper after L Sarita Devi’s controversial loss in the Asian Games semifinal.”
The experienced boxer thinks Borgohain has talent, but she needs to be more focused, especially when things get tough in the ring.
He believes Lovlina needs to be more aggressive and take charge during fights. He’s watched some of her matches and thinks she lost because she wasn’t assertive enough.
If Lovlina boxes at her best, she could win a medal in Paris, according to Fernandez.
After winning a medal in Tokyo, Borgohain, who is 26 years old, had some ups and downs. She changed her weight category from 69kg to 75kg and didn’t win any medals at the 2022 World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
But then she won a silver medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and became the world champion the following year, which earned her a ticket to Paris.
Zareen and Borgohain are two of the four Indian women boxers who will compete in the Summer Games in Paris in July-August.
“The other boxers are Preeti Pawar weighing 54 kilograms and Parveen Hooda weighing 57 kilograms.
Fernandez hopes that India’s male boxers will qualify for the Paris Games too. It depends on how well they do in the last qualifying matches in Bangkok from May 23 to June 3.
There are 51 spots available for Paris, and Indian boxers could get nine more. Fernandez thinks Nishant Dev and Amit Panghal could get these spots because they’re very good. Men’s boxing is tough, unlike women’s boxing which is easier. Fernandez wants Indian men to do well in the Olympics.”
