Meenakshi, Pooja, Hitesh lead charge as eight Indians set to fight for gold at World Boxing Cup

ANI July 5, 2025 383 views

India's boxing contingent is set to make history at the World Boxing Cup in Kazakhstan with eight fighters reaching finals. Women boxers are particularly shining, with Meenakshi, Sakshi, Pooja Rani, and Jaismine delivering impressive performances across different weight categories. Male boxers like Hitesh Gulia have also demonstrated remarkable resilience and skill in their semi-final matches. This tournament represents a significant milestone for Indian boxing, especially for women pugilists getting their first major international platform.

"This is the first time that the women pugilists have got an opportunity to showcase their skills" - Article Narrative
Astana, July 5: India's boxing contingent at the World Boxing Cup, Kazakhstan 2025, will be vying for at least eight gold medals on the final day on Sunday after four women and three men followed Nupur (80+kg) in reaching the finals of their respective weight categories on Saturday.

Key Points

1

Meenakshi and Sakshi dominate with 5:0 victories in women's weight categories

2

Pooja Rani secures 80kg final with strategic 3:2 win

3

Hitesh Gulia recovers from first-round challenge to reach men's 70kg final

4

Indian contingent aims for best-ever World Boxing Cup performance

Meenakshi (women's 48kg), Sakshi (women's 54kg), Pooja Rani (women's 80kg), Jaismine (women's 57kg), Hitesh Gulia (men's 70kg), Jugnoo (men's 85kg), Abhinash Jamwal (men's 65kg) registered convincing victories to keep the Indian contingent on course to register their best ever performance in the World Boxing Cup.

Sanju (women's 60kg), Nikhil Dubey (men's 75kg) and Narender (men's 90+ kg) bagged the bronze medal after going down in the semi-finals, thereby taking India's overall medal tally to 11. India had clinched a total of six medals in the first leg of the World Boxing Cup in Brazil earlier this year, with only the men's boxers competing in that leg.

This is the first time that the women pugilists have got an opportunity to showcase their skills on the World Boxing Cup stage and they have grabbed it with both hands.

Meenakshi started India's march on Saturday with an aggressive display to beat Nurselen Yalgettekin of Turkey 5:0 in the 48kg semi-final. Sakshi then displayed her prowess, landing punches regularly to dominate Feruza Kazakova of Uzbekistan and reached the final of the 54kg weight category by an identical margin.

Olympian Pooja Rani then staved off the late charge of Elif Guneri of Turkey in the 80kg category to reach the final with a 3:2 verdict. Jaismine then completed the lineup with a unanimous decision over Kazakhstan's Aidana Zabynbekova.

Brazil leg gold medallist Hitesh Gulia looked in trouble after the first round against France's Makan Traore but the 20-year-old landed quite a few punches in the second round to close the gap and then wrapped up the semi-final with yet another convincing display in the third and final round to reach the final.

Jugnoo then added to the celebratory mood in the Indian camp with a 5:0 thumping of England's Teagn Scott, and Abhinash Jamwal, then earned a 5:0 win over local hope Yertugan Zeinullinov.

Reader Comments

S
Shreya B
Hitesh Gulia's comeback was nail-biting! The young boxer showed amazing composure after losing the first round. Our athletes are proving that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. All the best for finals tomorrow!
A
Aman W
While I'm thrilled with the results, I wish the media would give equal coverage to boxing as they do to cricket. These athletes deserve more recognition and better sponsorship deals. Still, chak de India! 🥊
P
Priyanka N
Jaismine's victory over the local Kazakh boxer was particularly impressive - fighting in their home ground and still getting unanimous decision! Our girls are showing the world what Indian women are capable of. #WomenInSports
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Nikhil C
The boxing federation deserves credit for nurturing these talents. From 6 medals in Brazil to 11 now with women participating - that's real progress. Hope this translates to Olympic medals too! 🥇
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David E
As an expat living in India, I'm amazed by the sports culture developing here. The determination shown by these boxers is inspiring. Rooting for all finalists - bring those golds home!
K
Kavya N
Jugnoo's 5

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