India made a flawless start to the World Boxing Cup Finals on Sunday, with four boxers securing medals on the opening day in Greater Noida. The quartet, including newly crowned world champion Minakshi Hooda (48kg) and Paris Olympian Preeti Pawar (54kg), cruised through their quarterfinal bouts to enter the semifinals, thereby guaranteeing podium finishes at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Indoor Stadium.
Preeti Pawar made a powerful return to international action, securing a unanimous 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan’s former World youth champion, Nigina Uktamova. Preeti, who had been diagnosed with Hepatitis-A a month before the Paris Olympics and struggled with the physical toll post-Games, expressed her relief: “This gap, away from the national team was very challenging but it motivated me to come back. I am feeling very positive.” The Asian Games bronze medallist employed sharper defensive movements and effective counterattacks to overcome the aggressive Uzbek boxer.
The Indian performance was led by reigning World champion Minakshi Hooda (48kg). Minakshi asserted her class against Kazakhstan’s Bolat Akbota, recording a 5-0 victory. The 48kg boxer used her long reach and superior ring craft to dictate a high-tempo bout and consistently land clean, accurate punches from the first bell. Minakshi, who won the World Championships earlier this year, stated her goal: "I am happy that my medal has been confirmed, but I will not settle for anything less than gold."
The men's division also contributed to India's strong start. Ankush Phangal (80kg) delivered a composed performance, overcoming Japan’s Go Wakaya with a 5-0 unanimous decision win, securing his senior international medal debut. Seasoned campaigner Narender Berwal (+90kg) pushed through a gritty performance to secure a 4-1 split decision victory over Ukraine’s Andrii Khaletskyi, rounding out the four medal guarantees for India.
With the tournament restricted to only the world's top eight boxers in each category, the Indians' clinical authority on Day 1 sets a strong tone for the host nation. Preeti Pawar’s comeback trial will be stiff, as she faces reigning world champion Hsiao Wen Huang of Chinese Taipei in the semifinals. Day 2 of the competition will see more Indian boxers in action, including Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Sumit (75kg), and Naveen Kumar (90kg), as India aims to maximize its medal haul on home soil.
