Greater Noida: India’s scintillating run at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 continued on Day 2 with Pawan Bartwal (55kg) and Hitesh Gulia (70kg) securing upset wins and delivering two of the tournament’s biggest results on the second day of competitions here on Monday.
On Monday, Pawan stunned World Boxing Cup Brazil gold medallist Altynbek Nursultan, and Hitesh edged past two-time Olympian, 2022 Asian Games gold medallist, and top seed Sewon Okazawa in a gripping split-decision bout. Their victories, along with strong wins from Sumit (75kg), Naveen (90kg), and Jadumani Singh (50kg), ensured India completed a perfect medal sweep across both sessions.
For Pawan, the moment was 15 years in the making. Having begun boxing in the 2010s and quietly risen through the ranks, the Services boxer erupted onto the world stage spectacularly. Spurred on by the home support, he displayed exceptional defensive discipline, clever tempo control, and superb endurance, repeatedly pushing Nursultan–the second seed in the weight category–onto the ropes while picking clean openings. Pawan’s poised, calculated performance marked one of India’s finest victories in the opening rounds of this elite eight-only global event.
“Nursultan is a good boxer; he was a champion at the World Boxing Cup in Brazil this year. I was nervous at the beginning, but this tournament is taking place in our country, in front of our crowd, and that gave me confidence. This is a hugely significant tournament in my career. This is my first international medal, and I am extremely proud,” Pawan told the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) after the match.
The night’s marquee bout between Hitesh and Okazawa lived up to its billing, with the former producing one of the tournament’s most dramatic results in a narrow 3:2 win. Both boxers displayed caution early, keeping up their guards and preventing openings, but a powerful hook from Hitesh late in round 2 gave him the early advantage. Okazawa hit back aggressively in round 3, but the home favourite’s clean work in the first two rounds proved decisive, securing him a medal.
Previously, Sumit followed Pawan’s lead with an equally assured 5:0 win over South Korea’s Kim Hyeon-tae in the 75kg quarterfinals. A sharp punch to the face early in the bout set the tone for a relentless display where the Indian pugilist married aggression with tactical control. He pressed forward throughout, dictating the exchanges and forcing Kim into survival mode as the verdict became a formality. Naveen, a Strandja 2024 medalist, completed the trio of wins in Session 2 with a composed and intelligent performance against Kazakhstan’s Bekzat Tangatar.
Later, in session 3, Jadumani opened his World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 campaign with a unanimous decision win over Kazakhstan’s Nurzat Ongarov, displaying his blistering attacking intent from the get-go and pinning his opponent to the ropes throughout the contest.
In the day’s other results, Taiwan’s Paris Olympics medallist Wu Shih-Yi delivered one of the standout wins of the session, dominating Uzbekistan’s Sitora Turdibekova 5:0 in the women’s 57kg division. In the men’s 55kg and 75kg brackets, Uzbekistan’s Samandar Olimov, England’s Ellis Trowbridge, and Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Abdurakhimov advanced, while Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Poland also secured key victories across the afternoon session.
In all, 10 Indians will enter semifinal action on Day 3, led by World Champion Minakshi (48kg) against Korea’s Bak Cho-rong. Preeti (54kg) faces a major test against Olympic medalist and three-time World Champion Huang Hsiao-Wen, while Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) meets German standout Leonie Muller, who has won a medal each at the three previous stages of the World Boxing Cup 2025. Saweety Boora (75kg) takes on Australia’s Emma-Sue Greetree, with Narender, Naveen, and Ankush also chasing finals spots. Abhinash Jamwal opens his campaign against Ukraine’s Elvin Aliiev.
(IANS)
