business · 2026-08-08
India Boxing's Golden Run at CWG 2026
Photo: Broomcleaning2006 / Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Six boxers reached semifinals on July 29, locking in bronze, but the real story is all 10 Indian entrants eventually made finals.India won 7 gold and 3 silver in boxing, nearly a quarter of its 39 total medals, a haul only possible because wrestling and shooting were left out this edition.Sachin Siwach and Ankush Panghal turned cagey quarterfinals into gold, while Narender Berwal's brutal win only got him silver.
Did Sakshi Chaudhary convert her quarterfinal win into gold?
Yes. Sakshi Chaudhary beat Northern Ireland's Caitlin Fryers in the quarterfinal, then won her semifinal against Canada's Amber-Jane Wall 5-0, before defeating England's Ruby White 5-0 in the women's 51kg final, ending White's 68-bout unbeaten streak. She won every bout without dropping a single judge's scorecard.
How tough was the field Sakshi had to beat before Glasgow?
To even qualify, Sakshi had to cut weight from her natural 54kg class to 51kg since the 54kg CWG quota was taken. In the national trials she then beat two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen 4-1 and reigning Asian champion Minakshi Hooda 5-0, arguably the deepest field faced by any Indian boxer at the Games.
What made her final win over Ruby White significant?
England's Ruby White, 19, had won all 68 of her senior bouts and was considered one of Britain's brightest prospects heading into the final. Sakshi ended that streak with an emphatic 5-0 unanimous decision, a result described as the defining individual performance of India's record boxing haul at the tournament.
Did both Arundhati and Jaismine make the gold medal bout?
Yes, both reached the final. Arundhati Choudhary stunned defending champion Rosie Eccles of Wales 4-0 in the women's 70kg semifinal, while world champion Jaismine Lamboria won her 57kg semifinal by RSC after her Lesotho opponent took a third standing count in the second round.
How did Jaismine's semifinal end early?
Jaismine dominated her 57kg semifinal so completely that the bout was stopped via Referee Stops Contest, triggered after her Lesotho opponent received a third standing count in the closing seconds of the second round, sparing her from having to fight out the full three rounds.
Who else joined them in reaching a CWG final that day?
Five Indian boxers reached finals that Friday alongside Arundhati and Jaismine: Preeti Pawar (women's 54kg) beat Zambia's Catherine Mwape 5-0, Ankush Panghal (men's 80kg) beat Canada's Joshua Ofori 5-0, and Jadumani Singh (men's 55kg) beat Namibia's P.P.M. Haoseb 5-0, all unanimous decisions.
Why did Narender Berwal's tough win end in silver, not gold?
Berwal's tough win was in the quarterfinal, a 3-2 split decision over Samoa's Michael Seko. In the final itself, England's Damar Thomas beat him 5-0 on a unanimous decision, controlling the bout with sharp straight punches and constant pressure that never let Berwal settle into his rhythm, denying him gold.
How did Thomas dominate the final round by round?
Thomas swept round one by staying on the front foot with relentless straight punches while Berwal struggled to build counter-punching momentum, despite landing one powerful blow late. Thomas then took round two 5-0 on four of five scorecards, putting the fight firmly in his control before the judges confirmed a 5-0 unanimous verdict.
How close was Berwal's quarterfinal that set up the final?
Berwal beat Samoa's Michael Seko 3-2 in a split decision that went down to the wire, with both boxers visibly fatigued by the final round. Berwal forced two standing counts on Seko, in the second and third rounds, which proved decisive in a contest far tighter than his semifinal win over Trinidad and Tobago's N. Paul.
Source: thehindu.com