Nupur Sheoran guarantees India's first medal at the World Boxing Championships 2025, storms into semis with dominant win over Uzbek pugilist

India's Nupur Sheoran has secured the country's first medal at the ongoing World Boxing Championships 2025. Competing in the +80kg event, the Haryana-born pugilist defeated Oltinoy Sotimboeva of Uzbekistan in a 4-1 decision to advance to the semifinals.

Nupur Sheoran confirms India's 1st medal at World Boxing Championships 2025

This victory in her first bout of the championships guarantees Nupur at least a bronze medal. Earlier this year, she also won a gold medal at the World Boxing Cup in Kazakhstan. The +80kg category features a total of ten boxers.

Nupur Sheoran started her bout strong, landing a sharp combination of punches. While Oltinoy Sotimboeva of Uzbekistan responded with a solid jab, the fight's rhythm was frequently disrupted by repeated clinching. Nupur's more precise punches, however, secured her a lead on four of the five judges' scorecards in the first round.

In a spirited second round, the determined 20-year-old Sotimboeva kept the contest tight, earning favor from two of the judges. Despite this, Nupur finished the round with an impressive series of punches.

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The final round saw both boxers penalized. Sotimboeva was docked a point for excessive holding, and shortly after, Nupur received a similar penalty for head-butting, which nullified any potential advantage. Despite a chaotic finish with more swinging than scoring, Nupur’s cleaner strikes ultimately secured her victory and a place in the semifinals.

Later in the day, two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen will face Cakiroglu Buse Naz of Turkey in her quarterfinal bout. Other Indian boxers including Jaismine, Pooja Rani, and Abhinash Jamwal are also scheduled to compete in their respective quarterfinal matches.

On Tuesday, Nikhat Zareen advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Boxing Championships after a decisive 5:0 victory over Yma Nishinaka of Japan. Although the 29-year-old Indian boxer faced a determined challenge from her opponent, Zareen's performance was dominant. Nishinaka was also docked two penalty points for repeatedly disrupting Zareen’s rhythm.

Zareen had a strong start to the tournament, defeating Jennifer Lozano of the United States with a 5:0 score in the opening round, showing no signs of rust. India has sent a 20-member team to the championships under World Boxing, a newly formed international governing body for the sport, hoping for a strong performance from both the men's and women's squads. In her upcoming quarter-final bout, Zareen will face Cakiroglu Buse Naz of Turkey.