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{{short description|Boxing in India}}
{{short description|Boxing in India}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2015}}
{{sport overview
{{sport overview
| image        = Vijender boxing.jpg
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| image_alt    = Four men standing. Middle of them is a young Indian male who wears a shiny orange dressing gown with blue border. His hands are behind his head. The other three men are all dressed in black and appear to be waiting around the man.
| image_alt    =  
| caption      = [[Vijender Singh]]
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| union        = [[Indian Boxing Federation]]
| union        = [[Boxing Federation of India]] and [[Indian Professional Boxing Association]]
| country      = India
| country      = India
| sport        = boxing<!-- sport -->
| sport        = boxing<!-- sport -->
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| image        = File:Indian Professional Boxing Association (IPBA).jpg
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In [[India]], the sport of [[boxing]] is governed by the Indian Boxing Federation. 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. However, India is a regular medal-holder at international tournaments including the [[Asian Games]] and [[Commonwealth Games]], and [[Boxing at the Summer Olympics|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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Raja|first=Abhijit|title=Boxing: The Rise of 'Little Cuba' in Bhiwani, India|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/549380-boxing-the-rise-of-little-cuba-in-bhiwaniindia|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Bleacher Report|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=M|first=Hari Kishore|date=2021-06-02|title=Boxing from Bhiwani, India’s "mini-Cuba"|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/boxing/boxing-bhiwani-india-s-mini-cuba|access-date=2021-06-24|website=www.sportskeeda.com|language=en-us}}</ref>
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.


== Notable boxers and boxing victories ==
However, India is a regular medal-holder at international tournaments including the [[Asian Games]], [[Commonwealth Games]] and [[Boxing at the Summer Olympics|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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Raja|first=Abhijit|title=Boxing: The Rise of 'Little Cuba' in Bhiwani, India|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/549380-boxing-the-rise-of-little-cuba-in-bhiwaniindia|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Bleacher Report|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=M|first=Hari Kishore|date=2021-06-02|title=Boxing from Bhiwani, India’s "mini-Cuba"|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/boxing/boxing-bhiwani-india-s-mini-cuba|access-date=2021-06-24|website=www.sportskeeda.com|language=en-us}}</ref>


At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, [[Vijender Singh]] won a bronze medal in the middleweight boxing category, while [[Akhil Kumar]] and [[Jitender Kumar (flyweight boxer)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|title = 2008 Summer Olympics Boxing Results - Beijing, China - ESPN|url = http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/results?discId=9|website = sports.espn.go.com|access-date = 2015-05-04}}</ref>
==Notable performances==
[[Mary Kom]] is a six-time [[World Amateur Boxing Championships|World Amateur Boxing]] champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each of the six world championships.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Magnificent Mary|url = http://iseeindia.com/2011/08/13/magnificent-mary/|website = I See India|access-date = 2015-05-04|archive-date = 2012-05-22|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120522021741/http://iseeindia.com/2011/08/13/magnificent-mary/|url-status = dead}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/mc-mary-kom-delivers-first-boxing-gold-at-asian-games-2014/|title=MC Mary Kom delivers first boxing gold at Asian Games 2014|access-date=2015-05-04}}</ref>


[[Vijender Singh]] briefly reached World No.1 in the middle weight (75&nbsp;kg) category class in 2009, when the International Boxing Association's (AIBA) list was updated after 2009 AIBA World Boxing Championships held in Milan, where he won India's first medal in an [[AIBA World Boxing Championships|AIBA-WBC]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Vijender becomes world number one - The Times of India|url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/boxing/Vijender-becomes-world-number-one/articleshow/5067839.cms?referral=PM|website = The Times of India|access-date = 2015-05-04}}</ref> On 29 June 2015, Vijender Singh bid adieu to his amateur career by turning professional as he signed a multi-year agreement with [[Frank Warren (promoter)|Queensberry Promotions]] through IOS Sports and Entertainment. This ruled him out of 2016 Olympics as he no longer remained eligible to represent India.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, [[Vijender Singh]] won a bronze medal in the middleweight boxing category, while [[Akhil Kumar]] and [[Jitender Kumar (flyweight boxer)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|title = 2008 Summer Olympics Boxing Results - Beijing, China - ESPN|url = http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/results?discId=9|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080819122541/http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/results?discId=9|url-status = dead|archive-date = August 19, 2008|website = [[ESPN]]|access-date = 2015-05-04}}</ref>


India's [[Mary Kom]] is a six-time [[World Amateur Boxing Championships|World Amateur Boxing]] champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Magnificent Mary|url = http://iseeindia.com/2011/08/13/magnificent-mary/|website = I See India|access-date = 2015-05-04}}</ref> She also became the first Indian woman boxer to get a Gold Medal at the Asian Games during the [[2014 Asian Games]] at [[Incheon]], South Korea.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/mc-mary-kom-delivers-first-boxing-gold-at-asian-games-2014/|title=MC Mary Kom delivers first boxing gold at Asian Games 2014|access-date=2015-05-04}}</ref>
[[Vijender Singh]] briefly reached World No.1 in the middleweight (75&nbsp;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 World Boxing Championships|AIBA-WBC]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Vijender becomes world number one - The Times of India|url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/boxing/Vijender-becomes-world-number-one/articleshow/5067839.cms?referral=PM|website = The Times of India|access-date = 2015-05-04}}</ref> On 29th June 2015, Vijender Singh bid adieu to his amateur career by turning professional as he signed a multi-year agreement with [[Frank Warren (promoter)|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.


Five Indian boxers, two male and three female, were among the world’s top three in [[International Boxing Association (amateur)|AIBA]] latest world rankings (March 1, 2014) in their respective categories. The rankings were as follows:
==Medal table==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Competition
! Gold
! Silver
! Bronze
! Total
|-
 
|[[Boxing at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|0
|0
|3
|3
|-
|[[AIBA World Boxing Championships|World Boxing Championships]]
|14
|9
|30
|53
|-
|[[Boxing at the Asian Games|Asian Games]]
|9
|17
|35
|61
|-
|[[Boxing at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|11
|13
|20
|44
|-
|[[Asian Amateur Boxing Championships|Asian Championships]]
|30
|46
|68
|144
|-
| Total || '''64''' || '''85''' || '''156''' || '''305'''
|-
|}
* updated till 5th August, 2024
 
==Notable Olympics performances==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+March 1, 2014 [[AIBA World Boxing Championships|AIBA]] Rankings<ref>{{Cite news|title = Five Indian boxers in AIBA top three|url = http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/five-indian-boxers-in-aiba-top-three/article5756665.ece|newspaper = The Hindu|date = March 6, 2014|access-date = 2015-05-04|issn = 0971-751X|first = Nandakumar|last = Marar}}</ref>
!Rank
!Name
!Weight Category
!Country
|-
|-
|1
! Year !! Event !! Player !! Result
|Birzhan Zharypov
|-
|46–48&nbsp;kg - Men
|rowspan = "2"|[[Boxing at the 2000 Summer Olympics|2000]]
|Kazakhstan
|-
|-
|2
| [[Boxing at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Light heavyweight|Light heavyweight]] || [[Gurcharan Singh (boxer)|Gurcharan Singh]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|David Ayrapetan
|46–48&nbsp;kg - Men
|Russia
|-
|-
|'''3'''
|rowspan = "4"|[[Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008]]
|'''[[Devendro Singh|L Devendro Singh]]'''
|'''46–48&nbsp;kg - Men'''
|'''India'''
|-
|-
|
| [[Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Middleweight|Middleweight]] || '''[[Vijender Singh]]''' || style="background:#c96;" align=center|  {{bronze3}}
|
|
|
|-
|-
|1
| [[Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Flyweight|Flyweight]] || [[Jitender Kumar (boxer, born 1988)|Jitender Kumar]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|Robeisy Ramirez Carranza
|56&nbsp;kg - Men
|Cuba
|-
|-
|2
| [[Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Bantamweight|Bantamweight]] || [[Akhil Kumar]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|John Michael Conlan
|56&nbsp;kg - Men
|Ireland
|-
|-
|'''3'''
|rowspan = "4"|[[Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics|2012]]
|'''[[Shiva Thapa]]'''
|'''56&nbsp;kg - Men'''
|'''India'''
|-
|-
|
| [[Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's flyweight|Women's flyweight]] || '''[[Mary Kom]]''' || style="background:#c96;" align=center|  {{bronze3}}
|
|
|
|-
|-
|1
| [[Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's light flyweight|Men's light flyweight]] || [[Devendro Singh]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|Josie Gabuco
|45–48&nbsp;kg - Women
|Philippines
|-
|-
|'''2'''
| [[Boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's middleweight|Men's middleweight]] || [[Vijender Singh]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|'''[[Pinki Jangra]]'''
|'''45–48&nbsp;kg - Women'''
|'''India'''
|-
|-
|3
|rowspan = "2"|[[Boxing at the 2016 Summer Olympics|2016]]
|Shiqi Xu
|45–48&nbsp;kg - Women
|China
|-
|-
|
| [[Boxing at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's middleweight|Men's middleweight]] || [[Vikas Krishan Yadav]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|
|
|
|-
|-
|1
|rowspan = "4"|[[Boxing at the 2020 Summer Olympics|2020]]
|Cancan Ren
|51&nbsp;kg - Women
|China
|-
|-
|2
| [[Boxing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's welterweight|Women's welterweight]] || '''[[Lovlina Borgohain]]''' || style="background:#c96;" align=center| {{bronze3}}
|Nicola Adams
|51&nbsp;kg - Women
|England
|-
|-
|'''3'''
| [[Boxing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's middleweight|Women's middleweight]] || [[Pooja Rani]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|'''[[Mary Kom|M C Mary Kom]]'''
|'''51&nbsp;kg - Women'''
|'''India'''
|-
|-
|
| [[Boxing at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's super heavyweight|Men's super heavyweight]] || [[Satish Kumar (boxer)|Satish Kumar]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|
|
|
|-
|-
|1
|rowspan = "3"|[[Boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympics|2024]]
|Yunfei Li
|81+&nbsp;kg - Women
|China
|-
|-
|2
| [[Boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Men's 71 kg|Men's 71 kg]] || [[Nishant Dev]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|Lazzat Kungeibaevya
|81+&nbsp;kg - Women
|Kazakhstan
|-
|-
|'''3'''
| [[Boxing at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Women's 75 kg|Women's 75 kg]] || [[Lovlina Borgohain]] || '''Quarter-finals'''
|'''[[Kavita Chahal]]'''
|'''81+&nbsp;kg - Women'''
|'''India'''
|}
|}


In December, 2014, [[Indian Boxing Federation|Boxing India]] declared its 1st Elite Men's Nationals in Nagpur which were held from January 9 to 15,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/boxing/Mens-Boxing-Nationals-to-be-held-from-January-9/articleshow/45525862.cms | title=Men's Boxing Nationals to be held from January 9 | publisher=Timesofindia}}</ref> where boxers [[Satish Kumar (boxer)|Satish Kumar]], [[Manpreet Singh (boxer)|Manpreet Singh]], [[Sumit Sangwan]], Mrunal Bhosale won medals.<ref>{{cite web|title=1 st Elite Men’s National Boxing Championship|url=http://boxingindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/1st-Elite-Mens-National-Boxing-Champrionship-Results.pdf|website=Boxing India|access-date=17 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614174834/http://boxingindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/1st-Elite-Mens-National-Boxing-Champrionship-Results.pdf|archive-date=14 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==In popular culture==
In 2014, [[Priyanka Chopra]] portrayed [[Mary Kom]] in an award winning [[Mary Kom (film)|biographical film about her life]].
 
==See also==
* [[List of National Sports Award recipients in boxing]]
* [[Indian Professional Boxing Association]]
* [[Boxing Federation of India]]


==In popular culture==
==External links==
In 2014, [[Priyanka Chopra]] portrayed [[Mary Kom]] in an award winning [[Mary Kom (film)|biographical film about her life]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = MARY KOM {{!}} British Board of Film Classification|url = http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/mary-kom-2014|website = www.bbfc.co.uk|access-date = 2015-05-04}}</ref>
* [https://www.ipbaboxing.com/ Indian Professional Boxing Association – Official Website]
* [https://boxingfederation.in/ Boxing Federation of India – Official Website]


==References==
==References==
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{{Sport in India}}
{{Sport in India}}


[[Category:Boxing in India| ]]
[[Category:Boxing in India|Boxing in India]]

Latest revision as of 15:10, 30 July 2026


Boxing in India
CountryIndia
Governing bodyBoxing Federation of India and Indian Professional Boxing Association
National team(s)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.

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Competition Gold Silver Bronze Total
Olympic Games 0 0 3 3
World Boxing Championships 14 9 30 53
Asian Games 9 17 35 61
Commonwealth Games 11 13 20 44
Asian Championships 30 46 68 144
Total 64 85 156 305
  • updated till 5th August, 2024

Notable Olympics performances[edit | edit source]

Year Event Player Result
2000
Light heavyweight Gurcharan Singh Quarter-finals
2008
Middleweight Vijender Singh 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Flyweight Jitender Kumar Quarter-finals
Bantamweight Akhil Kumar Quarter-finals
2012
Women's flyweight Mary Kom 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
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 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
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 popular culture[edit | edit source]

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

See also[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  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.
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