Historic double as Jaismine, Minakshi crowned champions

Indian boxing enjoyed one of its finest hours on the world stage as Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Minakshi Hooda (48kg) were crowned World Champions with stirring victories at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool. Their twin triumphs marked a new high for the sport in the country, placing them in the same illustrious bracket as legends like Mary Kom and Nikhat Zareen.

Jaismine, competing in her third World Championships, produced the performance of her career to beat Paris Olympics silver medallist Julia Szeremeta of Poland 4-1 in the final. The 24-year-old Indian showed remarkable composure after losing the first round, adjusting her rhythm and range to dominate the next two with sharp jabs and counter-punching. As the final verdict was read out, Jaismine raised her hand with rare emotion before embracing her opponent, her joy spilling over at the medal ceremony when the national anthem echoed through the arena.

A day later, Minakshi Hooda followed her teammate’s golden path by outpunching Kazakhstan’s Nazym Kyzaibay, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist, by the same 4-1 margin. Just 21, Minakshi displayed relentless energy and tactical maturity beyond her years, refusing to let Kyzaibay settle into her rhythm. Her victory cemented her place as one of India’s brightest new stars.

While Jaismine and Minakshi returned with gold, India also bagged two more medals. In the 80+kg category, Nupur Sheoran settled for silver after a narrow 2-3 defeat to Poland’s Agata Kaczmarska. Despite her height advantage, Nupur struggled to keep pace with Kaczmarska’s aggression, with the Pole sealing the bout in the final round through a decisive uppercut.

Veteran Pooja Rani (80kg) closed her campaign with bronze, losing her semifinal to local favourite Emily Asquith 1-4. Pooja started strong but the Englishwoman adapted quickly, countering effectively to turn the fight in her favour.

With two world titles, a silver and a bronze, India finished the tournament on a memorable note proof that the country’s women boxers remain a formidable force on the global stage.