New Delhi: Jaismine Lamboria climbed to World No. 1 in the women’s 57kg category while Asian champions Priya Ghanghas (60kg) and Vishvanath Suresh (50kg) surged into the top three of their respective categories, as India retained its strong presence in the latest World Boxing Rankings.
Notably, Indian boxers featured in the Top 10 across nine of the 10 women’s weight categories and eight of the 10 men’s divisions.
In the women’s section, Minakshi extended her reign as World No. 1 in the 48kg category, while Preeti rose to No. 3. Arundhati Choudhary (70kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), and Nupur (+80kg) were all ranked World No. 2, highlighting India’s growing strength in the heavier divisions.
Established stars Nikhat Zareen (51kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) also retained their places among the world’s elite.
The men’s contingent mirrored that consistency. Sachin and Narender broke into the Top 5 following a sustained run of international success, while Hitesh Gulia (70kg) retained his No. 6 ranking and Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) was placed eighth in the world. Akash (75kg) and Lokesh (85kg) also entered the Top 10, further underlining India’s increasing competitiveness across weight categories.
Ajay Singh, President, Boxing Federation of India, said, “These rankings are a reflection of the strong structures and systems that have been put in place over the past few years. From grassroots development to high-performance training, our focus has been on building a sustainable pipeline of talent. It is encouraging to see that today, almost every weight category features a strong Indian presence at the global level, firmly establishing India as one of the leading boxing nations in the world.”
India currently stands third overall in terms of Top-10 ranked athletes globally, while emerging as a dominant force in women’s boxing, where it is placed second, and holding a strong fourth position in the men’s category. Notably, in the elite Top-3 bracket, India is ranked third overall but leads the world in the women’s category.
The depth extends well beyond the Top 10. On the women’s side, Parveen (60kg) is ranked 13th, Ankushita Boro (65kg) narrowly misses the Top 10 at No. 11, while Saweety (75kg), Sakshi (54kg), Sanju (60kg), and Neeraj Phogat (65kg) continue to hold competitive positions in the global rankings.
In the men’s rankings, Ankush (80kg) sat just outside the elite bracket at No. 11, while Deepak (70kg) ranked 12th. Jugnoo (85kg) occupied 14th place, Harsh Choudhary (90kg) ranked 10th, and Sumit (75kg) and Kumar Naveen (90kg) both placed 18th. Nikhil Dubey (75kg) and Vishal (90kg) tied 22nd in their respective divisions.
India’s incredible rise in the world rankings has been driven by record-breaking performances at the World Boxing Cup Finals, strong medal hauls at the World Championships, and consistent results across elite and age-group competitions.
(IANS)
