World Boxing Cup Finals 2025: India's Boxing Stars Ready for Home Challenge
The future of amateur boxing looks bright again as the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 kicks off on Sunday in Greater Noida, marking a significant return to normalcy after the uncertainty caused by the suspension of the International Boxing Association (IBA). This prestigious event serves as the season-ending tournament for the new governing body, World Boxing, where elite pugilists compete for crucial ranking points that determine seeding in future competitions.
Indian Contingent Led by Champion Nikhat Zareen
Leading India's formidable challenge is two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen, who expressed excitement about competing before home supporters. "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," the Hyderabadi boxer stated ahead of the tournament.
Zareen will compete in the women's 51kg category and enjoys a direct entry into the semi-finals, where she will face Uzbekistan's Gulsevar Ganieva. Her journey reflects the tournament format that allows only medallists from the three World Boxing Cups held earlier this year and top-ranked boxers to qualify for the finals.
Strong Women's Team and Men's Redemption Quest
Beyond Zareen, India fields an impressive women's squad featuring multiple world champions. Jaismine Lamboria, the 57kg world champion, will battle Kazakhstan's Ulzhan Sarsenbek in her semi-final bout. "It was a great season for me overall. I just want to end it on a high with the gold medal here and focus on the next season, which has a major event like the Asian Games," Jaismine commented, fresh from her World Championships gold in Liverpool.
The Indian campaign opens with Minakshi Hooda in the 48kg category taking on Kazakhstan's Bolat Akbota, followed by Preeti Pawar's tight contest against Uzbekistan's former youth world champion Nigina Uktamova in the 54kg division.
While the women's team appears dominant with four World Championship medalists, the men's squad seeks redemption after disappointing performances at the World Championships. Their path remains challenging, particularly for Hitesh Gulia in the 70kg category, who faces top seed and former world champion Sewon Okazawa of Japan in the opening round.
Participation Challenges and International Stars
The tournament faces participation issues despite its prestigious status. Of 80 available spots across ten women's weight categories, only 44 boxers have registered, with merely three participants in the 75kg and 80kg divisions. Men's categories show better numbers with 65 boxers competing, including full rosters in the 70kg and 90kg classes.
A World Boxing source explained the situation: "One of the main reasons behind the low participation is the end of the season. A lot of top boxers have decided to take a break and start the next year."
Despite this, several international stars will grace the event, including Japan's World Championships silver medallist Sewonrets Okazawa (M70kg), Chinese Taipei's gold medallist Huang Hsiao-Wen in women's 54kg, Poland's 80kg+ World champion Agata Kaczmarska, and Paris Olympics silver medallist Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu (M60kg) of Kyrgyzstan.
Complete Indian Squad:
Women: Minakshi (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Parveen Hooda (60kg), Neeraj Phogat (65kg), Arundhati Chaudhary (70kg), Saweety (75kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), Nupur Sheoran (+80kg)
Men: Jadumani Singh (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Abhinash Jamwal (65kg), Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg), Ankush Phogat (80kg), Jugnoo (85kg), Naveen Kumar (90kg), Narender (+90kg)
