The quartet’s victories came in several key divisions that will feature at the 2028 Olympic Games, where boxing will debut full gender parity, reinforcing India’s expanding competitive depth ahead of Los Angeles.
Photo: IANS
Minakshi (48kg), Preeti (54kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) and Nupur (80+kg) clinched gold medals as India’s women boxers delivered a historic haul at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025, electrifying a packed Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida on Thursday.
The quartet’s victories came in several key divisions that will feature at the 2028 Olympic Games, where boxing will debut full gender parity, reinforcing India’s expanding competitive depth ahead of Los Angeles. Their commanding performances capped a standout campaign for the hosts, who also collected silver medals through Jadumani Singh, Pawan Bartwal, Abhinash Jamwal and Ankush Phangal, underscoring the nation’s growing influence across both men’s and women’s Olympic-class weight categories.
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India’s medal surge may not be over yet, with seven more boxers, including reigning World Champion Jaismine Lamboira, two-time former World Champion Nikhat Zareen, and dual World Boxing Cup medallist Hitesh Gulia, set to compete for gold in Session 7.
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Minakshi set the momentum early with a near-perfect 5:0 win over reigning Asian Champion Farzona Fozilova, showcasing her hallmark aggression from the first bell. The World Champion combined blazing speed with clinical accuracy, breaking open the contest in Round 1 with a sharp left–right burst and extending her dominance through well-timed jabs, precise counters and airtight defence.
Preeti maintained the gold rush with another unanimous 5:0 verdict, overpowering Italy’s World Championship medallist Sirine Charrabi through relentless pressure. She consistently forced Charrabi backward, landing crisp punches to the face and controlling the pace with superior movement and high-tempo offensive surges.
Arundhati Choudhary, the former Youth World Champion returning after 18 months, delivered one of the day’s most complete performances, outclassing Uzbekistan’s Aziza Zokirova 5:0. Blending sharp, clean offence with disciplined defensive structure, she dictated the ring geography throughout, scoring heavily with authoritative jabs while maintaining total command.
Nupur then sealed India’s fourth gold in a tense tactical bout, edging Uzbekistan’s Sotimboeva Oltinoy 3:2.
In the men’s finals, India secured four silver medals. Jadumani Singh (50kg) battled bravely before going down 1:4 to Uzbekistan’s Asilbek Jalilov. Pawan Bartwal (55kg), fresh off one of the tournament’s biggest upsets earlier in the week, lost to Samandar Olimov. Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) produced a spirited effort in a 1:4 defeat to Japan’s experienced Shion Nishiyama, while Ankush Phangal (80kg) was beaten by England’s defending World Cup champion Shittu Oladimeji.
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