Boxing in India

Last updated

Boxing in India
CountryIndia
Governing body Boxing Federation of India and Indian Professional Boxing Association
National team India

In India, the sport of boxing is governed by the Boxing Federation of India for amateur boxing and the Indian Professional Boxing Association for professional boxing. The majority of boxing in India occurs nationally and internationally as amateur boxing, with only a few boxers opting to pursue professional boxing. This has been attributed to a lack of promotional companies, facilities, and revenue.

Contents

However, India is a regular medal-holder at international tournaments including the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics. Boxing has been rising in popularity in certain states, particularly in Haryana. The Bhiwani Boxing Club in Bhiwani, Haryana has produced medalists in various weight classes. [1] [2]

Notable performances

Mary Kom is a six-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each of the six world championships. [3] She also became the first Indian woman boxer to win a Gold Medal at the Asian Games during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. [4]

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Vijender Singh won a bronze medal in the middleweight boxing category, while Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar qualified for the quarterfinals. Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, A.L. Lakra, and Dinesh Kumar each won a bronze medal at the 2008 World Championship. [5]

Vijender Singh briefly reached World No.1 in the middleweight (75 kg) category in 2009, when the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) list was updated after the 2009 AIBA World Boxing Championships held in Milan, where he won India's first medal in an AIBA-WBC. [6] On 29th June 2015, Vijender Singh bid adieu to his amateur career by turning professional as he signed a multi-year agreement with Queensberry Promotions through the Indian company IOS Sports and Entertainment. This ruled him out of the 2016 Olympics as he was no longer eligible to represent India.

Medal table

CompetitionGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Olympic Games 0033
World Boxing Championships 1493053
Asian Games 9173561
Commonwealth Games 11132044
Asian Championships 304668144
Total6485156305

Notable Olympics performances

YearEventPlayerResult
2000
Light heavyweight Gurcharan Singh Quarter-finals
2008
Middleweight Vijender Singh Bronze medal icon.svg
Flyweight Jitender Kumar Quarter-finals
Bantamweight Akhil Kumar Quarter-finals
2012
Women's flyweight Mary Kom Bronze medal icon.svg
Men's light flyweight Devendro Singh Quarter-finals
Men's middleweight Vijender Singh Quarter-finals
2016
Men's middleweight Vikas Krishan Yadav Quarter-finals
2020
Women's welterweight Lovlina Borgohain Bronze medal icon.svg
Women's middleweight Pooja Rani Quarter-finals
Men's super heavyweight Satish Kumar Quarter-finals
2024
Men's 71 kg Nishant Dev Quarter-finals
Women's 75 kg Lovlina Borgohain Quarter-finals

In 2014, Priyanka Chopra portrayed Mary Kom in an award winning biographical film about her life. [7]

See also

References

  1. Raja, Abhijit. "Boxing: The Rise of 'Little Cuba' in Bhiwani, India". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  2. M, Hari Kishore (2021-06-02). "Boxing from Bhiwani, India's "mini-Cuba"". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  3. "Magnificent Mary". I See India. Archived from the original on 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  4. "MC Mary Kom delivers first boxing gold at Asian Games 2014" . Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  5. "2008 Summer Olympics Boxing Results - Beijing, China - ESPN". ESPN . Archived from the original on August 19, 2008. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  6. "Vijender becomes world number one - The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  7. "Mary Kom". www.bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved 2015-05-04.