Guiyang (China): With pugilist Prachi leading the charge, India delivered a commanding performance at the World Boxing Cup 2026 (Stage 2), confirming six medals for the country following a strong showing in the quarterfinals.
Prachi (57kg) produced the standout performance of the day, defeating Paris Olympics bronze medallist Shih Yi Wu of Chinese Taipei in a hard-fought 4-1 verdict to secure her place in the semifinals and guarantee a podium finish.
World No. 1 in 48kg, Minakshi, competing in the 51kg category after moving up in weight, continued her dominant run with a clinical 5-0 victory over Kazakhstan’s Alua Balkibekova, the reigning world champion (2025) and world No. 3, marking one of the most significant wins of the day.
In the men’s category, Deepak (70kg) delivered a composed performance to outclass Azerbaijan’s Nabi Isgandarov with a unanimous 5-0 decision, while Nikhil (55kg) also impressed with a dominant 5-0 win over Azerbaijan’s Amin Mammadzada to progress to the semifinals.
With these results, India has secured six medals at the tournament, continuing its strong run on the international stage.
Earlier in the day, Saneh (65kg) put up a spirited effort but went down 0-5 against Poland’s Kinga Krówka, bowing out of the competition.
India’s consistent performances at the World Boxing Cup once again reflect the depth and quality across weight categories, as the team now eyes multiple finalists and potential gold medals in the upcoming bouts.
On Thursday, India’s Minakshi emerged victorious on the fourth day of the Boxing World Cup (Stage 2) in China, advancing to the quarterfinals in her weight category.
Competing in the women’s 51kg category, Minakshi, the reigning 48kg World Champion and current World No. 1 in that division, now transitioning to the Olympic 51kg weight class, registered a convincing 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Poland’s Natalia Kuczewska to move ahead in the competition.
In the other contest on day four, Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) bowed out after suffering a 0-5 defeat to Kyrgyzstan’s Mirzokhid Imamnazarov.
(IANS)
