The Indian boxing contingent has received a favorable draw at the World Boxing Championships 2025 in Liverpool, and Pawan Bartwal has already secured a victory in his debut match.
Pawan Bartwal's victory marks a strong start for India at the World Boxing Championships. He secured a hard-fought 3-2 split decision win against Brazil's Michael Douglas da Silva Trindade in the men's 55kg opening round on Thursday. Despite this being Bartwal's debut at the international level and facing an experienced Paris Olympian and 2023 Pan American Games silver medalist, he demonstrated resilience and skill throughout the challenging bout. Bartwal started strong, landing a sharp jab and increasing the pace to win the first round 3-2. Trindade responded aggressively in the second round, putting Bartwal on the defensive. However, Bartwal regained control in the final round, unleashing a series of combinations to secure the victory.
Several other Indian boxers have also received favorable draws, increasing their chances of advancing in the competition. Medal hopefuls such as Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Abhinash Jamwal (65kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (70kg) have avoided tough opponents in the early rounds. Gulia, Jamwal, and Lovlina received byes in the initial round, while Nikhat Zareen is set to face Jennifer Lozano of the USA. Hitesh and Abhinash are positioned in separate halves of the draw from their primary adversaries, Kainan Oliveira and Yuri Falcao, both from Brazil.
Other Indian boxers set to compete include Sakshi (54kg), Sanamacha Chanu (70kg), and Harsh Choudhary (90kg). Sakshi will face Viktoriia Shkeul of Ukraine, while Jaismine Lamboria is drawn against another Ukrainian, Daria-Olha Hutarina.
The Indian contingent includes a total of twenty boxers who are aiming for a strong performance at the inaugural World Championships under the aegis of World Boxing, the new international governing body for the sport. Nikhat and Lovlina are entering the tournament with impressive domestic performances. Both, however, have not competed in an international event since the Paris 2024 Olympics. Prior to the World Boxing Championships, Indian boxers have shown promise in the World Boxing Cup competitions in Brazil and Kazakhstan, securing 17 medals, with four being gold.
This year's World Boxing Championships marks the first time that both men's and women's competitions are being held concurrently, with over 544 boxers from 68 national federations competing across 20 weight categories.
