Boxing World Cup 2026: Deepak, Poonam advance on opening day
(Courtesy : BFI)
As many as seven Indians lost in the opening round
Deepak and Poonam emerged as the lone Indian winners on the opening day of the Boxing World Cup (Stage 2) in China, advancing to the next round of their respective categories while seven other Indian boxers suffered defeats.
Competing in the women’s 54kg category, Poonam registered a convincing 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan’s Aziza Yokubova in the preliminary round of 32 to move ahead in the competition.
Deepak joined her in the next round after producing an equally dominant display in the men’s 70kg division, defeating Turkmenistan’s Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov by a unanimous 5-0 verdict in the preliminary round of 32.
The remaining Indian boxers, however, could not progress further.
In the preliminary round of 16, Rishi Singh (50kg) lost to Azerbaijan’s Subhan Mamedov, while Sanamacha Chanu Thokchom (75kg) went down against Canada’s Tammara Thibeault. Sawan Gill also bowed out after suffering a defeat to Norway’s Omar Shiha in the men’s 90kg category.
In other preliminary contests, Anmol (60kg) was narrowly beaten 2-3 by Salim Ellis Bey (USA). Meanwhile, Harsh Choudhary (90kg) had his bout stopped prematurely, losing to Sweden’s Elwin Belezika via Referee Stops Contest due to Injury [RSC (I)] in the third round.
India also endured disappointment in the quarter-finals as Naina lost to China’s Xiaomeng Wang in the women’s 80kg category, while Alfiya Tarannum Akram Khan Pathan was defeated by Poland’s Elzbieta Wojcik in the women’s 90+kg division.
Deepak and Poonam will now look to continue India’s challenge in the tournament as the competition progresses.
Indian Results on day 1 of Boxing World Cup [Stage 2]
Won
- Poonam (54kg-W) bt Aziza Yokubova (Uzbekistan-W) 5-0
- Deepak (70kg) bt Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov (Turkmenistan) 5-0
Lost:
- Anmol (60kg) lost to Salim Ellis Bey (USA) 2-3
- Harsh Choudhary (90kg) lost to Elwin Belezika (Sweden) via RSC (I) Round 3
- Naina (80kg-W) lost to Xiaomeng Wang (China-W) 0-5
- Sanamacha Chanu Thokchom (75kg-W) lost to Tammara Thibeault (Canada-W) 0-5
- Rishi Singh (50kg) lost to Subhan Mamedov (Azerbaijan) 0-5
- Alfiya Tarannum Akram Khan Pathan (90+kg-W) lost to Elzbieta Wojcik (Poland-W) 0-5
- Sawan Gill (90kg) lost to Omar Shiha (Norway) 0-5
Where and when is Boxing World Cup 2026 Stage 2 taking place?
The tournament is taking place in Guiyang, China, from June 15 to 21.
Which Indian boxers won their matches in Round 1 of Boxing World Cup 2026 Stage 2?
In the women’s 54kg category, Poonam defeated Uzbekistan’s Aziza Yokubova 5-0 in the preliminary round of 32 while Deepak won after beating Turkmenistan’s Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov by a unanimous verdict in the men’s 70kg category.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram
Alex graduated in mass communication in 2016 and has been covering global sports for Khel Now since then. He is covering sports tech, igaming, sports betting and casino domain from 2017.