Sakshi Chaudhary has clinched India's first gold medal at the World Boxing Cup 2025 in Astana, Kazakhstan, with a dominant and unanimous victory in the women's 54kg final against Yoseline Perez of the USA. This win marks a significant achievement for Sakshi and India, adding to the country's medal tally at the tournament.
Sakshi's victory was decisive, with judges scoring the bout 30-27 on two cards and 29-28 on the other three, highlighting her dominance throughout the final. En route to the gold medal, Sakshi won all four of her bouts by unanimous decision. In the semi-final, Sakshi displayed her prowess by landing regular punches to dominate Feruza Kazakova of Uzbekistan, reaching the final with an identical margin. Earlier in the tournament, she secured a dominant 5-0 win over Tatiana Chagas of Brazil in the quarterfinal, after defeating English boxer Charley Davison in the preliminary round.
Sakshi's gold medal was the only victory in the morning session of the finals, as Minakshi (48 Kg Women), Pooja Rani (80 Kg Women), and Jugnoo (85 kg Men) all settled for silver medals. Minakshi fought hard before losing to Paris Olympic medalist Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan. Pooja and Jugnoo faced 0-5 defeats to boxers from Kazakhstan and Australia, respectively.
Sakshi's journey to the World Boxing Cup title is a testament to her dedication and skill. She is a former Asian medalist, and this was her first international tournament of the year. Sakshi, who hails from Haryana, had earlier narrowly missed out on a berth for the Tokyo Olympics. She had secured a place in India's Olympic qualifier team after defeating Sonia Lather 9-1 in the 57kg category trials.
India has secured 11 medals at the World Boxing Cup in Kazakhstan, including spots in six gold medal bouts. Hitesh Gulia and Jugnoo also registered convincing victories to reach the finals in their respective weight categories. In the first leg of the World Boxing Cup in Brazil earlier this year, India's men's team won six medals. The World Boxing Cup series will conclude with a final event in India this November.
Sakshi's achievement has been widely celebrated, with many praising her performance and her contribution to Indian boxing.
