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Boxer Parveen Hooda is heading back to the Asian Games chasing a medal she once won but can no longer call her own, hoping to replace the bronze taken away from her due to a ban with another podium finish. The Indian pugilist won that bronze in the 57kg category in the Hangzhou Games in 2023, along with an Olympic quota for India, only to lose both after being handed a suspension. Since then, Parveen's comeback has involved one adjustment after another -- a new weight class, a coupe of injuries, another move up and a quarterfinal exit at the Commonwealth Games. "Of course, yes," the 26-year-old told PTI when asked if she has unfinished business at the Asian Games. The bronze has been gone for nearly two years. The memory of winning it has not. Neither has the feeling of what followed. Parveen was suspended by WADA for 22 months in May 2024 after three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period. The suspension, later backdated by 14 months, cost her the Asian Games medal and the
Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh on Sunday lauded the Indian pugilists for their remarkable 10-medal show at the Commonwealth Games and urged them to work even harder to repeat the exceptional performance at the Asian Games in Japan next month. Indian boxers returned with a record haul of 10 medals from the CWG, including seven gold and three silver, a first in the history of the Games for the country. "We had an exceptional and historic last two days. Winning seven gold and three silver in boxing is the biggest performance in the last 100 years history of Commonwealth Games," Singh said during an online interaction from Glasgow. "This is also a preparation for future events, the Asian Games and 2028 Olympics. We can replicate such a performance in Asian Games, we are top 3 in Asia in boxing but for that we need to prepare hard from now and be focussed to produce a strong performance." The BFI chief said those boxers who have won medals at the CWG have automatically
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Saturday issued a detailed show-cause notice to Vinesh Phogat, accusing her of indiscipline and anti-doping rule violations, and declared her ineligible to compete in domestic events till June 26, 2026 for failing to complete the mandatory six-month notice period required for athletes returning from retirement under UWW Anti-Doping Rules. It means that the two-time World Championship medallist will have to wait for her comeback as she was tragetting the National Open Ranking event in Gonda, starting Sunday, for her return to competition after quitting the sport in 2024 following her disqualification from the Paris Olympic Games. In the 15-page notice, the WFI alleged that Vinesh's conduct had caused "lasting damage to reputation of Indian wrestling" in Paris and violated provisions of the WFI Constitution, UWW International Wrestling Rules and anti-doping regulations. Broad Charges ========= The federation has sought her explanation on ..
Indian boxers will aim for a good show at the Asian Championships, beginning here on Monday, as they look to make the most of their opportunities in a packed season and secure direct berths for the multi-sport events later this year. The tournament marks the first major outing in a loaded season that includes the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July-August), the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (September-October) and the World Boxing Cup Finals in Uzbekistan. Apart from the medal rush, the championships assume added significance as finalists will earn direct qualification for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, in line with the Boxing Federation of India's selection policy. The Indian team has been acclimatising in Mongolia for the past 15 days, training in multinational camps and sparring with boxers from Mongolia, China, Jordan and Thailand. The women's challenge will be led by Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg), reignin
Olympic bronze medallist and six-time world champion Indian boxer M C Mary Kom on Sunday said she is considering a move into professional boxing. The 43-year-old, who became the first Indian woman boxer with an Olympic medal when she bronze in the 2012 London Games, is past the age eligibility to compete on the amateur circuit. "What can I say about the high points? Winning six World Championships was incredible. Although I reached a stage where age restrictions prevented me from competing further in amateur boxing for the country, a new opportunity has surfaced in Professional Boxing," she said on the sidelines of Sundays on Cycle event. "I am currently taking some time to consider it. I am working hard and trying to make a comeback to show people what I can still do. Widely considered one of the greatest amateur boxers, Mary Kom also underlined her commitment to grassroots development through her academy in Manipur. "Personally, I am very involved with my academy. I travel back
Floyd Mayweather says he is ending his nine-year retirement and returning to competitive boxing this summer. Mayweather, who turns 49 on Tuesday, hasn't fought in a real boxing match since 2017, when he beat Conor McGregor. Following that big-money bout against a mixed martial artist, Mayweather (50-0, 27 KOs) declared himself retired for the third time in his career. The former five-division world champion has still been in the ring regularly throughout his 40s with a series of lucrative exhibition bouts against the likes of online influencer Logan Paul, YouTuber Mikuri Asakura and John Gotti III, the grandson of the infamous mafia boss. Mayweather already has announced yet another exhibition coming up this spring against 59-year-old Mike Tyson, although no location or television partner has been confirmed. But Mayweather says he is also returning to real ring competition this year under a promotional deal with CSI Sports/Fight Sports. "I still have what it takes to set more reco
Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Minakshi Hooda (48kg) carved their place in Indian boxing history by clinching titles with hard-fought wins at the World Championships here Capping off a stupendous campaign that saw her dominate all her rivals, Jaismine outclassed Paris Olympics silver medallist Julia Szeremeta of Poland in the 57kg summit clash late on Saturday night, prevailing 4-1 on the judges' scorecards (30-27 29-28 30-27 28-29 29-28). Minakshi followed suit a day later on Sunday, by out-punching Paris Olympics bronze medallist Kazakshtan's Nazym Kyzaibay with the same margin in the 48kg summit clash. However, Nupur Sheoran (80+kg) and the seasoned Pooja Rani (80kg) signed off with silver and bronze medals respectively in non-Olympic weight categories. With the victory, Jaismine and Minakshi joined an illustrious list of Indian world champions featuring six-time winner Mary Kom (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2018), two-time winner Nikhat Zareen (2022 and 2023), Sarita Devi ...
Incumbent Ajay Singh was on Thursday re-elected President of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for a third consecutive term after a comprehensive victory over Olympian Jaslal Pradhan, even as the Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chose not to send observers for the long-delayed polls. The elections were postponed by over six months due to legal wrangling. Singh, who is also the managing director of SpiceJet Airlines, won the contest 40-26 against 1982 Asian Games bronze medallist boxer Pradhan, who had the backing of the rival faction after former sports minister Anurag Thakur's inclusion in the electoral college was rejected. "I'm just happy that we get to continue the good work that the BFI has been doing for the past eight years," Singh told PTI after his victory. "As you know, India's rank in the world has gone up from number 44 eight years ago to rank four. That gives us immense satisfaction... that Indian boxers are now getting the opportunity to box
The governing body for Olympic-style boxing will require sex testing for all fighters wishing to compete in the women's division at its world championships next month. World Boxing already had announced its plan to require competitors to undergo a polymerase chain reaction test or an equivalent genetic screening test to determine their sex at birth. The rules will be implemented ahead of the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, in early September, the organisation announced on Wednesday. The tests identify the presence or absence of Y chromosome genetic material as the indicator of biological sex. "World Boxing respects the dignity of all individuals and is keen to ensure it is as inclusive as possible," World Boxing president Boris Van Der Vorst said. "Yet in a combat sport like boxing, we have a duty of care to deliver safety and competitiveness fairness, which are the key principles that have guided the development and creation of this policy." Paris Olympic champi
The Indian boxers' planned training trip to the UK ahead of the all-important World Championships has been hampered due to visa-related complications. The squad was scheduled to travel on Sunday to take part in a multinational training camp in Sheffield, a key build-up to the World Championships in Liverpool from September 4 to 14. However, only four women boxers and a few members of the coaching staff have managed to secure visas and reach the UK. The 10-member men's team and six women pugilists are still awaiting their clearances and remain at the national camp in NIS Patiala. At present, the male boxers have the services of only one coach as three others, including head coach Dharmendra Yadav, are already in Sheffield. "Yes, the three of us have reached here but all the (male) boxers are still waiting for their visas," Yadav told PTI. "We had to start sparring in the multinational camp from Wednesday but we cancelled it as we don't know when the visa will arrive and when the b
Tokyo Olympics bronze-winning boxer Lovlina Borgohain's allegations of "disrespectful and gender-discriminatory behaviour" against national federation's executive director Col Arun Malik are being investigated and a report would be submitted soon, a Sports Authority of India (SAI) official has said. In a formal complaint addressed to Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Sports Authority of India (SAI) Director General, the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) division, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), Lovlina alleged that Malik humiliated her and undermined her achievements during a Zoom meeting on July 8, which was attended by SAI and TOPS officials. On the call Lovlina requested that her personal coach, who was also present in the online meeting, be allowed in the national camp, something that goes against the BFI policy. She also wanted the coach to be allowed to travel with her to train in Europe. According to Lovlina, Malik responded
Former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur was once again rendered ineligible to contest the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) elections, with his name omitted from the electoral college released on Wednesday for the August 21 polls. The Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association (HPBA) had nominated Thakur and its President Rajesh Bhandari as its two representatives for the Annual General Meeting (AGM), where the key agenda is the election of new office-bearers for the 20252029 term. However, the BFI interim committee, constituted by World Boxing in April to oversee the federation's daily affairs, issued a 66-member electoral college after scrutiny, excluding Thakur's name. According to the interim committee chaired by Fairuz Mohamed, Thakur's nomination was found to be "in violation of Article 20 (iii) and (vii) of the Constitution of BFI approved by World Boxing." As per the revised BFI Constitution, approved by World Boxing on May 18, Clause (iii) states that the nominee to attend the Genera
Star boxers Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain were on Thursday named in India's squad for the World Championships set to take place in Liverpool in September. The 20-member squad was finalised after the boxers went through a week-long assessment at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala. The tournament, to be held from September 4 to 14, will be the first World Championships held under the aegis of the new governing body of the sport, World Boxing. It will feature competitions in 10 weight classes for men and women. It will also be for the first time ever that male and female boxers would compete in an Olympics-style boxing at the same event for the title of World Boxing Champion. Both Zareen and Borgohain had missed the women's nationals in March. While the two-time world champion Zareen was injured at the time, the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Borgohain had missed the event as the Assam state unit refused to send her due to infighting in the federation. The duo had