Indian sports wrap, January 10: Jadumani, Nikhat, Lovlina win gold at National Boxing Championships
BOXING
Jadumani proves his mettle; Nikhat, Lovlina reaffirm supremacy
Jadumani Singh had a point to prove to the naysayers, and the 21-year-old did so in style, winning the 55kg title for his first senior title at the Elite men’s and women’s boxing championships at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida on Saturday.
Jadumani got the better of senior pro and sparring partner Pawan Bartwal 5-0 with a flurry of punches and upper cuts to add to his list of big-ticket scalps in what is fast shaping up to be the most competitive category in Indian boxing. He had outplayed twice-Olympian and World Championship medalist Amit Panghal in the semifinals.
With both finalists belonging to the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), Pawan and Jadumani had no secrets from each other, matching in both power and endurance, but the youngster from Manipur clearly had planned for it, preferring quality over quantity and landing fewer but more scoring punches.
Himachal youngster Abhinash Jamwal, however, was upset by Aditya Pratap of SSCB, one of the nine golds the team won in the men’s section. Jamwal, with several impressive international outings through 2025, had the upper hand early on but was soon unable to both match his opponent’s aggression and skills, losing 2-3 in a close bout. Interestingly, Aditya had knocked out Abhinash in their previous meeting during the REC combined national talent hunt programme in 2024.
The women’s section was comparatively more predictable, with all but one bout decided by unanimous decisions in favour of the favourite. Nikhat Zareen came out tops in a messy, physical bout with Nitu Ghanghas in the 51kg while Minakshi Hooda retained her 48kg title against Manju Rani and Pooja Rani won a record 10th national title in the 80kg to extend her dominance in the category.
THE RESULTS
Men
50kg: Vishwanath Suresh (SSCB) bt Rishi Singh (UP) 5-; 55kg: Jadumani Singh (SSCB) bt Pawan Bartwal (SSCB) 5-0; 60kg: Hussamuddin (SSCB) bt Sachin Siwach (SSCB) 3-2; 65kg: Aditya Pratap (SSCB) bt Abhinash Jamwal (HP) 3-2; 70kg: Hitesh Gulia (SSCB) bt Deepak (SSCB) 3-2; 75kg: Sumit Kundu (75kg) bt Akash (SSCB) 5-0; 80kg: Ankush (SSCB) bt Malsawmtluanga (SSCB) 5-0; 85kg: Lokesh (SSCB) bt Jugnoo (SSCB) 5-0; 90kg: Harsh Chaudhary (Raj) bt Naman 4-1; 90+kg: Narender (SSCB) bt Sawan Gill (Chd) 5-0.
Women
48kg: Minakshi Hooda (APISCB) bt Manju Rani (RSPB) 5-0; 51kg: Nikhat Zareen (Tel) bt Nitu Ghanghas (Har) 5-0; 54kg: Preeti Pawar (SSCB) bt Poonam Punia (RSPB) 5-0; 57kg: Prachi (RSPB) bt Vika (Har) 5-0; 60kg: Priya (RSPB) bt Disha Patil (Mah) 5-0; 65kg: Pranjal Yadav (SSCB) bt Kajal (Utk) 4-1; 70kg: Arundhati Chaudhary (SSCB) bt Sneha (AIPSCB) 5-0; 75kg: Lovlina Borgohain (Asm) bt Sanamacha Chanu (RSPB) 5-0; 80kg: Pooja Rani (Har) bt Naina (Har) 5-0; 80+kg: Alfiya Khan (RSPB) bt Mankirat Kaur (Pun) 5-0.
-Uthra Ganesan
Published on Jan 10, 2026