Former Youth World Champions Ankushita Boro and Arundhati Choudhary showcased their dominance to claim gold medals as the women’s finals of the inaugural Boxing Federation of India (BFI) Cup 2025 concluded in Chennai on Monday.
Ankushita, representing Assam, edged past Rajasthan’s Parthavi Grewal 3:2 in a thrilling 60-65kg final, while Arundhati, competing for Services, secured a convincing 5:0 win over Sneha from AIP in the 65-70kg category. World Championships bronze medallist Parveen Hooda (SAI) also struck gold after a narrow 3:2 win against Priya of Haryana in the 57-60kg division.
The finals featured several notable performances from young and seasoned boxers. Uttarakhand’s Nivedita Karki defeated World Championships silver medallist Manju Rani (Railways) 3:2 to claim the 45-48kg title, while Bhavna Sharma (Railways) registered a 5:0 victory over Savita (Railways) in the 48-51kg bout. Maharashtra’s Khushi Jadhav prevailed 3:2 against Divya Pawar (AIP) in the 51-54kg category, and Himachal Pradesh’s Vinakshi Dhota earned a dominant 5:0 win over Mushkan (AIP) in the 54-57kg class.
In the upper-weight divisions, Monika (SAI) captured the 70-75kg title with a 4:1 win over Haryana’s Nishu, Babita Bisht (AIP) edged Punjab’s Komal 3:2 in the 75-80kg final, and Ritika (SAI) sealed the 80-80+kg crown with a commanding 5:0 victory over Shivani Tomar (AIP).
The inaugural BFI Cup 2025, held in Chennai from October 1–7, marks a significant addition to India’s boxing calendar. The tournament, organized under World Boxing standards, featured ten men’s and ten women’s weight categories. Gold and silver medallists from the competition will earn direct entry to the Elite National Camp.
In the men’s draw, Services boxer S. Vishwanath advanced to the 47-50kg final after a dominant 5:0 win over teammate Gopi Mishra. Asian Games champion Amit Panghal (Services) bowed out in the 50-55kg semi-final following a 1:4 defeat to fellow Services boxer Ashish. World Championships bronze medallist Mohammad Husamuddin (Services) continued his fine form with a 5:0 victory against Mitesh Deswal (Railways) in the 55-60kg category.
