He was not quite sure if training abroad before Olympics would help much but after spending a fortnight preparing in Ireland, London-bound Vijender Singh said the experience has done a world of good to the Indian boxers ahead of the mega-event this month.
Asian gold medallist Suranjoy Singh (52kg) and Amandeep Singh (49kg) advanced to the quarter-finals, while defending champion Akhil Kumar (56kg) booked a place in the last-16 stage in front of a rapturous home crowd at the Talkatora stadium on Thursday.
India's young boxers showcased their talent at the Asian Boxing U15 and U17 Championships in Tashkent, securing several victories across different weight categories.
The Indian youth boxing team has made a promising start at the World Boxing Futures Cup 2026 in Bangkok, with several boxers securing victories in their opening matches.
President Murmu honours Indian women boxers after medal haul in Liverpool
India's boxers are headed in the right direction and will do something big at the Tokyo Olympic Games next year, reckons High Performance Director Santiago Nieva.
Indian boxer Vishvanath Suresh defeated world champion Sanzhar Tashkenbay at the Asian Boxing Championships, while Ankushita Boro also advanced to the semi-finals.
Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Paramjeet Samota (+91kg), Manpreet Singh (91kg) and teen sensation Shiva Thapa (56kg) notched up contrasting wins to enter the semi-finals on a mixed opening day for Indian boxers in the Winners' International tournament in Belgrade, Serbia.
Indian boxers were off to a fine start in the 21st President's Cup with South Asian Games gold-medallist Chhote Lal Yadav and three others advancing to the quarter-finals of the event in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Determined to keep the Olympic dream alive despite the long-standing administrative mess, a spirited Indian boxing team, featuring the likes of M C Mary Kom and Shiva Thapa, will take off on Monday night for the Asian Qualifiers in Qian'an City, China. Ten men and three women form the 13-strong team which will be in action from March 25. In the men's competition, only the top three boxers in each weight category will make the Olympic cut with the third spot decided via a box-off between the two bronze-medallists. In the women's draw, only the gold and silver medal winners will qualify for Rio de Janeiro. In the absence of a recognised federation, the Indians will once again compete under the flag of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). "It is going to be a very tough tournament because not many from the Asian region qualified during last year's World Championships. I am expecting around 30 countries and more than 250 boxers to be there at this event," national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu told PTI ahead of the team's departure.
Indian boxers Chandrika, Gunjan, Joyshree Devi, and Ambekar Meetei have advanced to the finals of the World Boxing Futures Cup 2026 in Bangkok after winning their semifinal matches. Radhamani Longjam secured a bronze medal.
Sakshi Chaudhary overcame a series of setbacks, including a loss at the World Championships and missing out on Asian Championships selection, to secure her place at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games after a strategic shift to the 51kg category.
Preeti Pawar and Deepak secured victories in their respective categories to kick off India's campaign at the Asian Boxing Championships on a positive note.
Bantamweight boxer Shiva Thapa put up an impressive show against Chinese Taipei's Li Lin Yen to book his place in the quarter-finals of the Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan on Friday.
Lovlina Borgohain and Sakshi Chaudhary secured their spots for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games after winning their respective selection trials.
Indian boxers have been given the go ahead to participate in the October World Championships by AIBA but the world body has decided to bar them from any competition after that if the IBF fails to conduct a re-election by November.
Becomes first Indian to reach World Boxing Cup finals
The change means that Panghal, an Asian Games gold-medallist in 49kg, will now have to move to 52kg, while Thapa and Kaushik will have to forego the 60kg division and move up to the newly-created 63kg. Thapa is a three-time Asian Championships medallist and a world bronze-medallist, while Kaushik won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games last year.
Indian boxing legend Mary Kom is considering a move to professional boxing after age restrictions ended her amateur career. She remains committed to grassroots development and praises government initiatives to promote sports and fitness.
The Indian boxers' campaign in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers was off to a disappointing start with all three in action, on Saturday, including former Commonwealth Games champion Manoj Kumar (64kg), bowing out with opening round losses in Qian'an, China.
World Boxing Council Asian champion Neeraj Goyat was the lone Indian left in fray for an Olympic berth after he entered the semi-finals even as other two bowed out following first round losses in the International Boxing Association's Olympic Qualifying Tournament for professional boxers in Vargas, Venezuela.
Indian boxer Gaurav Bidhuri (52kg) is fast making a name for himself at the International Boxing Association's semi-professional World Series of Boxing, churning out three consecutive wins for his franchise Italia Thunder in the ongoing season.
World championship bronze medallist Indian boxer Nishant Dev has turned professional, bidding adieu to his amateur career.
In a huge relief for India's Commonwealth Games contingent, its boxers were cleared of any doping violation, but they remained under the scanner for breaching the Games' strict 'no needle' policy.
His wards might be dreaming big ahead of the London Games but national boxing coach Gurbux Singh Sandhu sees no harm in it, saying the Indian pugilists are not "pompous" but have "self belief".
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has agreed to rework its selection criteria after talks with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) following the suspension of an assessment camp due to alleged irregularities. The decision comes after concerns were raised about transparency and fair play in the selection process for the Commonwealth and Asian Games.
Rohit Rajpal, India's Davis Cup captain, has been appointed as the Chef de Mission for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, according to IOA sources.
Rohit Rajpal, India's Davis Cup captain, has been appointed as the Chef de Mission for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
All that boxer Amit Panghal wanted after winning his first and only Asian Games gold in September 2018 was a meeting with Dharmendra.
Madhya Pradesh police have busted an organised gang with connections to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's associate, arresting three key accused in an extortion case.
The year began on an unusually dull note with boxers absent from most international competition in the aftermath of a medal-less Olympic campaign.
Nine Indians punched their way into the finals of their respective categories in the Golden Glove of Vojvodina, an international boxing tournament in Kikinda, Serbia.
Boxing Federation of India president Ajay Singh on Thursday asserted that boxers will not miss any more tournaments, with national camps set to resume soon and a new coaching setup also to be announced.
A look at the careers of Indian sportspersons who have transitioned into politics, highlighting their successes, failures, and party affiliations.
The Indian Youth boxing team experienced a day of contrasting fortunes at the World Boxing Futures Cup, with Radhamani Longjam and Sahil Duhan winning their respective bouts, while Udham Singh was eliminated.
The Indian men's boxing team's final campaign at the 35th Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain was derailed by a positive COVID-19 case in the side, resulting in three withdrawals from the summit clashes.
Indian women boxers Meenakshi Hooda and Jaismine Lamboria secured semifinal berths at the Asian Boxing Championships, guaranteeing a podium finish for the entire women's contingent. In the men's section, Lokesh, Akash, and Harsh Choudhary also advanced to the semifinals.
Indian boxers will return empty-handed from the World Championships for the first time in four years after none of their five quarter-finalists made it to the semi-finals in the biennial mega-event, in Almaty, Kazkakhastan, on Wednesday. After the defeats of fourth seed Shiva Thapa (56kg) and sixth seed Manoj Kumar in the afternoon, Vikash Malik (60kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) also lost their quarter-final bouts in the evening session.
The national trials for the event were scheduled to be held on August 16 and 17 in Patiala but were postponed till the end of this month with neither the boxers nor the coaches having any clue about the reasons.
The 23-year-old Jamwal registered a comprehensive unanimous decision victory over Assam's Shiva, underlining his emergence from the shadow of his senior compatriot.
