Women’s nationals kicks off in absence of big names

The contentious women’s boxing nationals kicked off at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida on Friday with big names such as World Champion and Asian Games medall Nikhat Zareen and Tokyo Olympics medall Lovlina Borgohain missing from the action. While Nikhat is yet to start her season, Lovlina couldn’t participate in the event due to the ongoing conflict between Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh and his now-suspended secretary Hemanta Kumar Kalita.
In the absence of the country’s leading women’s pugils, the tournament started with 51kg defending champion Anamika Hooda of Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) defeating Sikkim’s Prava Gajneer in the second round.
Among other important results, Devika Ghorpade of Maharashtra claimed a decisive unanimous victory over Poonam Bisht of All India Police (AIP) in the 48-51kg category. Meanwhile, Haryana’s Tamanna delivered an equally dominant performance, securing a knockout win in Round 2 against Kerala’s Nissy Laissy Thampy, joining Anamika in advancing to the next stage.
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The closely contested 48-51kg clash between Uttarakhand’s Shobha Kohli and Punjab’s Ekta Saroj ended in a 4:1 split decision in favour of the former, who managed to edge out her opponent with superior ring control. In the 54-57kg category, Haryana’s Priya overpowered Preeti (AIP) in a 5:0 unanimous win. 
Elsewhere, Milano M.J of Kerala dominated Ladakh’s Nilzaya Angmo with a flawless win in the 45-48kg division, while Rajni of Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) outclassed Uttar Pradesh’s Rajani Singh in a similar 5:0 verdict. Savita (RSPB) also impressed in the 51-54kg category, defeating Suman Yadav of Goa.
World Champion Nitu Ghangas and Commonwealth Games medall Jaismine Lamboria will be in action tomorrow.
Federation issues
The start of the nationals was underscored the conflict in the boxing federation. BFI president Singh had suspended Kalita and treasurer Digvijay Singh over financial mismanagement and misappropriation of funds. Story continues below this ad
As reported this newspaper earlier, Lovlina failed to participate in the event as the Kalita-led Assam Boxing State unit retaliated not allowing Assamese boxers to participate in the nationals.
Other state associations like Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal also didn’t participate in the event.
188 boxers from 24 associations and state units will compete across ten weight categories in this week-long tournament, which follows the World Boxing Technical & Competition Rules, featuring three three-minute rounds with one-minute rest intervals.
Recently, the sport of boxing returned to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics program as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the inclusion of the sport at the 144th session in Pylos, Greece.
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