Deepak and Poonam Advance as Seven Indian Boxers Fall on World Cup Opening Day
On the opening day of the Boxing World Cup Stage 2 in China, Indian boxers Deepak and Poonam registered dominant victories to advance to the next round, while seven other Indian competitors suffered defeats. According to reports received in Hyderabad, the two pugilists were the sole bright spots for the Indian contingent on a challenging opening day of the tournament on June 15, 2026.
Competing in the women's 54kg category, Poonam secured a convincing 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan's Aziza Yokubova. This win in the preliminary round of 32 allowed her to progress further in the international tournament.
Deepak matched her dominant performance in the men's 70kg division. He defeated Bayramdurdy Nurmuhammedov of Turkmenistan by a unanimous 5-0 verdict in his preliminary round of 32 bout to secure his place in the next round.
The rest of the Indian contingent struggled to find success. In the preliminary round of 16, Rishi Singh lost his 50kg bout to Azerbaijan's Subhan Mamedov. Sanamacha Chanu Thokchom also bowed out in the 75kg category after losing to Canada's Tammara Thibeault. In the men's 90kg category, Sawan Gill was defeated by Norway's Omar Shiha.
In other preliminary contests, Anmol, competing in the 60kg category, suffered a narrow 2-3 defeat against Salim Ellis Bey of the United States.
Another preliminary round saw Harsh Choudhary exit the men's 90kg division. His bout against Sweden's Elwin Belezika was stopped in the third round due to injury, resulting in a Referee Stops Contest due to Injury decision.
India also faced setbacks in the quarterfinal stages of the tournament. In the women's 80kg category, Naina lost to China's Xiaomeng Wang. In the women's 90+kg division, Alfiya Tarannum Akram Khan Pathan was defeated by Poland's Elzbieta Wojcik, ending her campaign.
Following these results, Deepak and Poonam remain the only Indian boxers in contention to continue the country's challenge as the tournament progresses in China.
