Daijiworld Media Network - Greater Noida
Greater Noida, Nov 20: India celebrated a historic day at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 as Minakshi (48kg), Preeti (54kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg), and Nupur (80+kg) clinched gold medals in front of a roaring crowd at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex. Their victories came in key Olympic weight divisions, underscoring India’s growing strength ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, where boxing will feature full gender parity.
The women’s spectacular showing capped an impressive outing for the host nation, which also secured four silvers through Jadumani Singh, Pawan Bartwal, Abhinash Jamwal, and Ankush Phangal. The momentum continues as seven more Indians — including reigning World Champion Jaismine Lamboira, two-time World Champion Nikhat Zareen, and dual World Boxing Cup medallist Hitesh Gulia — are set to contest gold in Session 7.
Minakshi opened India’s golden run with a flawless 5:0 triumph over reigning Asian Champion Farzona Fozilova, showcasing blistering speed, precision punching, and airtight defence. Preeti followed suit with another commanding 5:0 victory, overwhelming Italy’s Sirine Charrabi through relentless pressure and superior ring control.
In one of the day’s standout bouts, Arundhati Choudhary delivered a clinical 5:0 win against Uzbekistan’s Aziza Zokirova, marking a powerful return after 18 months. Her sharp jabs, disciplined defence, and complete tactical command left little room for doubt. Nupur completed the quartet of gold with a hard-fought 3:2 win over Uzbekistan’s Sotimboeva Oltinoy in a tense, strategic battle.
In the men’s division, India added four silver medals to its tally. Jadumani Singh (50kg) showed grit in a 1:4 loss to Uzbekistan’s Asilbek Jalilov, while Pawan Bartwal (55kg) — who earlier delivered one of the tournament’s biggest upsets — fell to Samandar Olimov. Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) put up a spirited fight in his 1:4 defeat to Japan’s Shion Nishiyama, and Ankush Phangal (80kg) was outmatched by England’s defending champion Shittu Oladimeji.
India’s performance marks one of its strongest showings on the global boxing stage, signalling a promising trajectory toward the next Olympic cycle.