Greater Noida, Nov 18 (IANS) Preeti Pawar (54kg) delivered one of the biggest upsets of the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025, defeating Tokyo Olympics medalist and three-time World Champion Huang Hsiao-Wen of Chinese Taipei to advance to the gold medal bout on Tuesday.

Preeti led the way as eight Indians, including Arundhati Choudhary, Minakshi Hooda, Abhinash Jamwal, Ankush Phangal, Nupur Sheoran, Narender Berwal, and Parveen, entered the finals at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex.

Preeti set the tone from the opening seconds, edging the first round with clean counterpunches before asserting clear dominance in the second. The 22-year-old refused to let the seasoned Huang build rhythm, cutting off angles and denying the former world champion any momentum. A flowing one-two combination late in the third affirmed her control and sealed a victory that will stand as a signature moment in her rising career.

“I knew she (Huang) was a world champion, but to become a World Champion, you must beat a World Champion. That was my mindset going into the bout: that I have to give my best here tonight, my 100 per cent, and win in front of the home crowd. The last bout gave me a lot of confidence, how the crowd supported me, so I came here today to give my best,” a jubilant Preeti said after the bout.

Arundhati delivered one of the most commanding performances of the tournament, stopping Germany’s Leonie Müller—a medallist at all three stages of the 2025 World Boxing Cup—via RSC. Arundhati, the former Youth World Champion and Strandja medalist, competing after a 1.5-year break, showed no signs of rust. She controlled both opening rounds with clean aggression, dropped the German powerhouse once in the second, and knocked her down again in the third to seal a comprehensive win and book her place in the final.

World Champion Minakshi (48kg) continued her exceptional form with a near-perfect 5:0 win over Korea’s Bak Cho-rong. She fought with energy and verve, maintaining a tight defensive structure while landing sharp, accurate punches that helped her clearly take all three rounds. Later, dual World Boxing Cup medalist Abhinash (65kg) opened his campaign in style, outclassing Ukraine’s Elvin Aliiev in a dominant win. Narender (90+kg) also powered into the finals with a trademark performance against Daniyal Saparbay of Kazakhstan, marked by strong physicality and ring presence.

Ankush (80kg) added another dominant 5:0 victory, overwhelming Australia’s Marlon Sevehon with his pace and pressure, while Nupur (80+kg) kept India’s momentum rolling by outboxing Ukraine’s Mariia Lovchynska with sustained dominance from start to finish. Parveen (60kg) delivered one of the day’s biggest upsets, edging past Poland’s World Boxing Cup silver medalist Rygielska Aneta Elżbieta in a tense 3:2 decision, showcasing strong ring-generalship in crucial exchanges.

Saweety Boora (75kg) exited the tournament after a loss against Emma-Sue Greentree of Australia, while Naveen’s journey also came to an end with a bronze medal in the bag.

Nine Indians will be in action on Day 4, headlined by two-time World Champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) against Uzbekistan’s Gulsevar Ganieva and reigning World Champion Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) versus Kazakhstan’s Ulzhan Sarsenbek. Also competing are Neeraj Phogat (65kg), Jadumani Singh (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Jugnoo (85kg), Sachin (60kg), Sumit (75kg), and Hitesh (70kg), all aiming to secure their spots in the finals.

–IANS

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