Sakshi and Nikhat win the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament to start their campaigns

Monday at the 75th Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, saw contrasting victories for Nikhat Zareen and Sakshi Chaudhary to start their campaigns.

In the 50kg match, Nikhat faced Oyuntsetseg Yesugen of Mongolia. Both boxers arrived with the intention of attacking, landing strong strikes whenever they could. The fighters didn’t spare each other a moment’s breathing room as they were at their most aggressive. But in the end, Nikhat—the current World Champion—came out on top in a 3-2 split decision. On Thursday, Nikhat will now compete in her quarterfinal match against Lkhadiri Wassila of France.

However, Sakshi (57 kg) outperformed Algeria’s Selmouni Chahira with her quick reflexes and unexpected strikes. She won easily, 5-0 by unanimous decision, and advanced to the quarterfinals by controlling the whole contest. On Thursday, she will now face Uzbekistan’s Mamajonova Khumorabonu in the quarterfinal.

Preeti (54 kg) battled fiercely against Irishwoman Fay Niamh. In the first two rounds, both fighters had their moments, with Fay gaining the lead right away. Despite Preeti’s incredible comeback in the third round, when all five judges ruled in her favor, she lost 2-3 and had to concede the event.

Unexpectedly, Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg) was disqualified in the third round of her pre-quarterfinal battle against O’Rourke Aoife of Ireland after receiving three warnings for aggressive grappling. Later today, Manisha (60 kg) and Arundhati Choudhary (66 kg) will compete against Zidani Amina and Sonvico Emilie, respectively, from France.

In the round of 16 match, late on Sunday, Jugnoo (86kg) defeated Kocharian Ashot of Ukraine 3-2 after a fierce battle. against Thursday, he will now take against Djalolov Samandar of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals. Three male boxers will open their campaigns in their separate round of 16 contests on Tuesday. Sachin (57 kg) will play Fayzov Khudoynazar of Uzbekistan; Vanshaj (63.5 kg) will play Habibinezhad Ali of Iran; and Sagar (92+ kg) will play Lithuania’s Jazevicius Jonas.

Over 300 fighters from 30 nations are competing in the Strandja Memorial Tournament, one of the oldest international sporting events in Europe.