World Boxing Cup Finals 2025: India Hosts Global Pugilists in Greater Noida

Hosted by India for the first time, the week-long spectacle will bring together elite boxers, including 2025 stage winners, as they compete for the coveted World Boxing Cup trophy - marking one of the most prestigious events on the international boxing calendar, as per a press release from the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).

Serving as the culmination of World Boxing's annual series, the Cup Finals will see male and female contenders across ten weight categories vie for top honours in Olympic-style boxing. For India, hosting the Finals for the first time marks a significant step in its emergence as a global boxing hub. Building on the success of the inaugural 2024 edition-which featured stages in England, the USA, and Mongolia, followed by the Finals in England-India enters this year's Finals ranked inside the top five in the global medal standings with 17 medals, including four golds, six silvers, and seven bronzes.

Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Singh, President, Boxing Federation of India, said: "Hosting the World Boxing Cup Finals reflects how far Indian boxing has come, not just in performance, but in our ability to stage world-class events. With India set to host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and aspiring to stage the Olympics in 2036, this is another important step in that direction. Over the past few years, we have built systems that consistently produce international medalists, and this tournament allows us to showcase that progress on home soil. It's a defining moment for us and for our boxers alike."

The 2025 World Boxing Cup held its first stage in Brazil's Foz do Iguacu, where the Indian men's contingent finished with six medals, the highlight being Hitesh Gulia's gold in the 70kg category. Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) finished with a silver medal, while Jadumani Singh (50kg), Manish Rathore (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), and Vishal (90kg) picked up a bronze medal each.

Stage two of the Cup moved to Poland, while stage three was held in Astana, Kazakhstan, where India's top national elite women's boxers joined the fray. Sakshi Chaudhary (54kg), Jasmine Lamboria (57kg), and Nupur Sheoran (80+kg) made waves by winning a gold medal each, while the experienced Pooja Rani (80kg) and rising star Minakshi Hooda (48kg) picked up a silver each; Sanju Khatri (60kg) was the recipient of the bronze.

In the elite men's section, Hitesh and Abhinash added a silver each to their World Boxing Cup medal tallies, while Jugnoo Ahlawat joined the podium finishes with a silver. Nikhil Dubey (75kg) and Narender Berwal (90+kg) collected a bronze medal each.

- ANI