Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain will be at the forefront as India eye a show befitting their growing stature in women’s boxing when the World Championship, whose build-up was marred by controversies, begins here from Thursday.

In the absence of the iconic six-time champion MC Mary Kom, who is recovering from an ACL tear in her left knee, world champion Nikhat and Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina will spearhead the 12-member Indian team.

Both boxers will look to find their footing in new weight categories with the Paris Olympics approaching.

World No. 4 Nikhat cut down her weight from 52kg, the weight category in which she found glory last year in Turkey, to 50kg.

Lovlina, on the other hand, has bulked up from the 69kg welterweight class to the 75kg middleweight division after both their preferred weight categories were scrapped for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This will be Nikhat’s second international tournament after dropping down to 50kg. She won the Commonwealth Games gold in the light fly weight division.