Punjab Newsline, Sports :
Top Indian boxers dominate quarterfinals as men’s and women’s nationals are held together for the first time
India’s elite boxers put on commanding performances to storm into the semifinals of the Elite Men and Women National Boxing Championships at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, on Thursday. World champion Minakshi Hooda, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen, and World Boxing Cup gold medallist Hitesh Gulia were among the standout names who registered comfortable victories in their respective quarterfinal bouts.
This edition of the Nationals is historic, as for the first time the men’s and women’s championships are being conducted together at a single venue. Around 600 boxers are competing across 10 weight categories in each gender, making it one of the biggest domestic boxing events in recent years.
In the women’s section, Minakshi Hooda (45–48kg), representing the All India Police team, showcased her class with a dominant 5:0 unanimous decision over Punjab’s Kashish Mehta. Nikhat Zareen (48–51kg) was equally impressive, defeating Manipur’s Lanchenbee Chanu Tongbram by an identical margin to book her place in the semifinals.
In the men’s 65–70kg quarterfinals, Hitesh Gulia delivered a clinical performance to beat Punjab’s Tejaswi 5:0. Other notable winners included World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 silver medallist Pawan Bartwal (50–55kg), Jadumani Singh (50–55kg), and Sachin (55–60kg), all of whom secured unanimous decisions. Pawan defeated Tyson of Arunachal Pradesh, Jadumani overcame Punjab’s Nikhil, while Sachin got the better of Uttar Pradesh’s Karan.
Women’s bouts also saw strong performances, with Preeti (51–54kg) registering a convincing 5:0 win over Punjab’s Harmeet Kaur Virk, while Sakshi edged past RSPB’s Poonam 4:1.
Earlier in the tournament, Nikhat Zareen’s dominance forced a referee stoppage in the first round against Ladakh’s Kulsooma Bano. Pawan Bartwal and Sumit also advanced after their bouts were halted in the third round due to clear superiority. Haryana’s Pooja (75–80kg) and Jadumani Singh further underlined their form with referee-stopped contests.
However, not all wins came easily. Assam’s Lovlina Borgohain survived a tough challenge from Saweety, winning 3:2 in a split decision. In the men’s section, former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Amit Panghal also had to dig deep, edging past Haryana’s Priyanshu 3:2.
The championship, which began on January 4, will conclude on January 10, with exciting semifinal and final clashes lined up.