World Boxing Cup Finals: Minakshi, Preeti, Ankush, and Narender progress to semis

Indian boxers had a strong start at the 2025 World Boxing Cup Finals, with four athletes reaching the semi-finals at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida on Sunday.

Reigning world champion Minakshi opened the day with a unanimous victory over Akbota Bolat from Kazakhstan in the women’s 48 kg quarterfinals.

Following her, Preeti Pawar (54 kg) also made an impressive debut by defeating Uzbekistan's Nigina Uktamova in her first major competition since the Paris Olympics. These two victories guarantee that India will secure medals in all ten weight categories of women's boxing, as the other eight boxers are pre-seeded into the semi-finals.

The Indian male boxers also had a successful day, with both Ankush (80 kg) and Narender (90+ kg) advancing to the semi-finals after winning their matches unanimously. Ankush triumphed over Japan's Go Wakaya, while Narender, the most experienced boxer on the team, defeated Andrii Khaletskyi from Ukraine.

Tomorrow, India will compete in five more quarterfinal bouts in the men's section, including a match featuring Hitesh Gulia, the Brazil World Boxing Cup champion.