TL;DR
- India hosts the World Boxing Cup 2025 from November 16-20 at Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.
- 130 boxers compete, but Olympic medalist Lovlina Borgohain opts out; Nikhat Zareen leads the Indian team.
- Nikhat Zareen, two-time world champion, advances to the 51kg semifinals, seeking to regain top form.
- Indian boxers Preeti Pawar and Arundhati Choudhary advance to finals with strong performances.
India hosts the World Boxing Cup 2025, from November 16 to 20, where 130 boxers from around the world will compete for glory at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.
Despite three Olympic medalists being present at the five-day competition, Indian athlete Lovlina Borgohain, a medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Games, has opted out of the event.
With Nikhat Zareen, the Commonwealth Games champion in the 51kg division, absent, she will serve as the prominent figure for the 20-strong Indian delegation. The team comprises an equal number of men and women, with 10 of each gender, aiming to achieve success while competing on home soil.
Nikhat Zareen seeks to recapture her best performance at the World Boxing Cup following a difficult year.
Nikhat is aware of the significance of this week's events and isn't shying away from them. “Ranking points have become crucial under the new body as it decides seeding for an event. Also, playing at a home event is always great, given the crowd support. I am expecting to perform in front of the home crowd,” she stated before the competition.
The two-time world champion advances directly to the women's 51kg semifinals, facing Uzbekistan's Gulsevar Ganieva. This marks a significant juncture for the boxer, who previously held sway in 2022 and 2023, shouldering India's hopes for Paris, before encountering a difficult period.
Her return last year wasn’t smooth, a loss to Olympic silver medallist Buse Naz Cakıroglu reminded her how unforgiving the sport can be. At 29, she’s chasing the rhythm that once made her untouchable. But even with the doubts around her, Nikhat still believes there’s plenty of fight left in her.
India at World Boxing Cup Finals 2025
Men:
- Hitesh (70kg)
- Abhinash Jamwal (65kg)
- Jadumani Singh (50kg)
- Pawan Bartwal (55kg)
- Sachin (60kg)
- Sumit (75kg)
- Ankush (80kg)
- Jugnoo (85kg)
- Naveen Kumar (90kg)
- Narender (90+kg)
Women:
- Nikhat Zareen (51kg)
- Jaismine Lamboria (57kg)
- Minakshi Hooda (48kg)
- Pooja Rani (80kg)
- Saweety Boora (75kg)
- Nupur Sheoran (80+kg)
- Preeti Pawar (54kg)
- Parveen (60kg)
- Neeraj Phogat (65kg)
- Arundhati Choudhary (70kg)
Indians shine at World Boxing Finals 2025
- Preeti Pawar, a 22-year-old competitor in the 54 kg division, advanced to the finals by Overcoming Hsiao-Wen, the three-time World Champion from Chinese Taipei.
- Arundhati, a former youth champion, made a strong comeback post-surgery, securing three standing counts against Leonie.
- Abhinash Jamwal defeated Elvin Aliiev
- Nupur Sheoran bt Mariia Lovchynska
- Parveen Hooda wins Aneta Rygielska
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