World Champion Minakshi, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen, and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain kicked off their campaign with easy wins in the Elite Men and Women National Boxing Championships at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, on Monday.
This tournament marks the first instance where the men’s and women’s National Championships are being held simultaneously at the same venue, with 600 boxers participating in 10 weight categories each for both genders.
Women’s Competitions
- Nikhat Zareen (48-51kg), representing Telangana, blanked Nidhi of Chandigarh 5:0.
- Minakshi (45-48kg) also secured a victory, defeating V Lakshaya S Vijayan from Tamil Nadu by an identical margin.
- In the women’s 70-75kg category, Lovlina Borgohain faced no difficulty in defeating Krisha Verma by unanimous decision.
Men’s Competitions
- In the men’s bouts, Sagar (47-50kg) triumphed over Ashutosh 5:0.
- Sumit (70-75kg) also won by the same margin against Arshpreet Singh.
- Young star Hitesh (65-70kg) recorded a dominating 5-0 victory over Ankit.
- In the 55-60kg weight class, Sachin dominated Tushar with a 5:0 win, and Ankush (50-55kg) defeated Suraj Bhan by the same scoreline.
Earlier on Sunday, 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal of SSCB and Sagar from Haryana registered contrasting wins to advance in the Championships. Amit, competing in the Bantamweight category, dominated Usman Mohd Sultan of Bihar to secure an unanimous decision. In the heavyweight category, Sagar had to work hard against Edwin of Kerala but managed to win by a split decision. Lalrambuat from Mizoram also claimed victory in the bantamweight category by winning against Santosh Kumar of Odisha.
Other prominent names competing at the Nationals include reigning World Champion Jaismine, World Championships bronze medallists Pooja Rani and Parveen, former World Champion Nitu Ghanghas, and Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti Pawar among women. In the men’s section, notable participants include World Boxing Cup Finals gold medallists Hitesh and Sachin, along with World Boxing Cup Finals silver medallist Abhinash Jamwal and Asian Games bronze medallist Narender Berwal.
Each member association has sent a maximum of 10 male and 10 female boxers. Athletes who participated in the World Boxing Cup Finals in Noida in November 2025 received direct entry into the nationals. Only boxers born between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 2006, are eligible to compete.
All medallists in Olympic weight categories will be called for the national camp, while only gold and silver medallists from non-Olympic weight categories will be part of the camp following the Nationals.