CHENNAI: Though there have been a few noteworthy events — domestic and international — here and there, the sport of boxing in the country has largely been subdued so far this season. With some key competitions including the World Championships on the horizon, that could change. Even star boxer Nikhat Zareen could possibly return to competitive action soon. The World Boxing-led Interim Committee is looking to organise the Elite Women Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad next month. The committee has requested the Telangana Boxing Federation (TBF) to conduct the tournament. If things go as per committee's proposal, the event could witness some elite boxers fighting for a spot in the national camp.
"The tournament will feature participation from the Top 12 ranked State/Board teams of 8th Elite Women Nationals, 1 SAI NCOE Combined Team, and the Host team, making it a highly competitive and significant tournament in the national boxing calendar. This tournament serves as a separate pathway to provide opportunities for boxers to enter in national coaching camp," the Interim Committee, in a letter addressed to TBF, said. A copy of this letter (dated May 8) is with The New Indian Express.
However, the event comes with an asterisk. Given the ongoing cloud surrounding the sport due to delay in conduct of elections and subsequent recognition issue with the sports ministry, it remains to be seen if the event will go smoothly as per plan. The TBF has to respond within mid-June. As per the letter, the event is scheduled to be conducted from June 23 to June 27.
If things fall in place, this upcoming event is quite significant ahead of some key international events, including the World Championships that is scheduled to be held in England in September. Going by the selection policy in place, even Lovlina Borgohain could take part in the Telangana meet. However, that is far from certain due to the current climate in the BFI. Due to division within the governing body of the sport in the country, several top boxers including Lovlina had missed the women's national championship in Greater Noida earlier this year in March. That had meant Lovlina, who participated in the National Games 2025, and several other elite boxers had missed out on a pathway to representing India in international events. The boxers, who finished in the top-four at Greater Noida, are currently part of the national camp in Patiala.
According to the BFI Selection Policy 2025-26, the national championship is the main pathway for the boxers aspiring to be part of the national camp. Having missed that boat, now it's a chance for Lovlina and other boxers to earn that spot as the gold and the silver medallist from the Telangana meet will be given the right to join the already-selected bunch in the national camp. Preeti Pawar, who was part of the Paris Games, is another name that could feature.
"This upcoming event is a chance for all the boxers who have missed out so far including the youth boxers. It's a second chance for those talented boxers who might have faced a gold medallist early on and gotten knocked out. We want to have a big bench strength going into the 2028 Olympics," a federation source told this daily.
"They (big names) should ideally be taking part. Nikhat is also well aware of this," the source added.
Nikhat, competed in the 50kg category in the 2024 Paris Olympics, had also skipped the aforementioned national event and is now expected to be the star attraction at her home state. With the update in women's categories for the Los Angeles Olympics, Nikhat will now be trading blows in the 51kg category. She departed for Uzbekistan for a training camp on Friday night. Before this, Nikhat had kept herself active by training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune.
The Interim Committee, in association with Mission Olympic Wing and Army Sports Institute, had conducted the 1st Chief of Army Staff Cup Open Boxing Tournament recently. That event also served as a pathway for the men boxers to enter the national coaching camp. Like their women counterparts, the men are also part of the national camp in Patiala. The two camps are being held separately. The policy makers from the federation are hopeful of making this a regular feature in their calendar.
Once the names for the national camp are finalised, there will be evaluation for seven to twelve days to determine the ranking. The No 1-ranked athlete will be taking part in the World Championship. The bottom-ranked boxers will be excluded from the camp.
Federation Cup
In order to ensure fairness, the boxing body is also looking to conduct the Federation Cup Open Tournament (both men and women) around September. "We are slowly looking to identify a larger pool of talent in each weight category. Gradually, the focus will become clearer," the source noted. The finalists from the Fed Cup will be included and all the campers will once again be part of the evaluation process. According to the selection policy, the top-ranked boxer will be part of the Asian Boxing Championship while the No 2-ranked boxers are expected to take part in the World Boxing Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India in mid-November.