Indian pugilist Preeti Pawar (54kg) produced one of the biggest surprises of the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 by defeating Tokyo Olympics medalist and three-time World Champion Huang Hsiao-Wen of Chinese Taipei to reach the gold medal match.
Her win led the way as eight Indian boxers, Arundhati Choudhary, Minakshi Hooda, Abhinash Jamwal, Ankush Phangal, Nupur Sheoran, Narender Berwal, and Parveen, also moved into the finals at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Noida.
Preeti defeated Hsiao-Wen
Preeti was off to a good start as she began the first round with clean counterpunches and then clearly controlled the second. The 22-year-old did not allow the experienced Huang to find any rhythm, cutting her off and stopping her from building momentum. A smooth one-two combination late in the third round showed her command of the fight and sealed one of the most memorable wins of her young career.
“I knew she (Huang) was a world champion, but to become a World Champion, you must beat a World Champion. That was my mindset going into the bout: that I have to give my best here tonight, my 100 per cent, and win in front of the home crowd. The last bout gave me a lot of confidence, how the crowd supported me, so I came here today to give my best,” Preeti said after the fight.
Arundhati beats Leonie Müller
Arundhati delivered one of the strongest performances of the tournament, beating Germany’s Leonie Müller, who is a medalist at all three stages of the 2025 World Boxing Cup hosted by RSC. Returning after a 1.5-year break, the former Youth World Champion and Strandja medalist looked completely in control. She dominated the first two rounds with steady aggression, dropped Müller once in the second round, and knocked her down again in the third to secure a clear win and enter the final.
Minakshi defeats Korea’s Bak Cho-rong
World Champion Minakshi (48kg) kept up her excellent run with a clean 5:0 victory over Korea’s Bak Cho-rong. She fought with high energy, stayed defensively solid, and landed accurate punches that helped her win every round. Later, dual World Boxing Cup medalist Abhinash (65kg) started his campaign well, defeating Ukraine’s Elvin Aliiev in a strong performance. Narender (90+kg) also moved into the finals after a powerful display against Daniyal Saparbay of Kazakhstan, showing his strength and control in the ring.
Ankush defeated Marlon Sevehon
Ankush (80kg) added another strong 5:0 win, overpowering Australia’s Marlon Sevehon with speed and pressure. Nupur (80+kg) kept India’s momentum going by beating Ukraine’s Mariia Lovchynska with steady dominance throughout the bout. Parveen (60kg) caused one of the day’s major upsets, winning 3:2 against Poland’s World Boxing Cup silver medalist, Rygielska Aneta Elżbieta, in a close fight, showing confidence in important moments.
Saweety Boora (75kg) went out of the tournament after losing to Australia’s Emma-Sue Greentree, and Naveen finished with a bronze medal after his exit.
India's Day four schedule
Nine Indians will compete on Day 4, led by two-time World Champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) against Uzbekistan’s Gulsevar Ganieva and reigning World Champion Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) against Kazakhstan’s Ulzhan Sarsenbek. Neeraj Phogat (65kg), Jadumani Singh (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Jugnoo (85kg), Sachin (60kg), Sumit (75kg), and Hitesh (70kg) will also be fighting to enter the finals.