BFI Cup 2025: Former youth champions Ankushita, Arundhati bag gold

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 6 (ANI): Former Youth World Champions Ankushita Boro and Arundhati Choudhary were among the standout performers as the women's finals concluded at the inaugural Boxing Federation of India (BFI) Cup 2025 in Chennai on Monday.

Ankushita (Assam) showcased her trademark aggression to edge Rajasthan's Parthavi Grewal 3:2 in the (60-65kg) category, while Arundhati (Services) stamped her class in the (65-70kg) weight category with a commanding 5:0 win over Sneha (AIP). World Championships bronze medallist Parveen Hooda (SAI) also emerged victorious, defeating Priya (Haryana) 3:2 in the (57-60kg) final as the Elite Women's competition crowned its champions across all ten weight categories, as per a press release from BFI.

In an endeavour to provide upcoming boxers a platform to showcase their skills and established stars an opportunity to test their preparations, BFI is hosting the inaugural BFI Cup 2025 in Chennai from October 1-7, featuring competitions for both Elite Men and Women across 10 weight categories each, aligned with World Boxing standards. Gold and silver medallists from the event will earn a pathway into the Elite National Camp.

Other women's finals saw Nivedita Karki (Uttarakhand) claim the title in the weight category (45-48kg) with a 3:2 win over World Championships silver medallist Manju Rani (Railways), while Bhavna Sharma (Railways) outclassed Savita (Railways) 5:0 in the (48-51kg) weight category.

Maharashtra's Khushi Jadhav edged Divya Pawar (AIP) 3:2 for (51-54kg) gold, and Himachal Pradesh's Vinakshi Dhota defeated Mushkan (AIP) 5:0 in the (54-57kg) weight category. Monika (SAI) bagged (70-75kg) crown with a 4:1 win over Nishu (Haryana), Babita Bisht (AIP) triumphed 3:2 against Komal (Punjab) in the (75-80kg) class, and Ritika (SAI) sealed the (80-80 kg) title by overpowering Shivani Tomar (AIP) 5:0.

On the men's side, S. Vishwanath (Services) entered the finals with a commanding 5:0 win over Gopi Mishra (Services) in the (47-50 kg) weight category. However, Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (Services) suffered a narrow 1:4 defeat to teammate Ashish (Services) in the (50-55 kg) semi-finals, while World Championships bronze medallist Mohammad Husamuddin (Services) continued his fine run with a 5:0 win over Mitesh Deswal (Railways) in the (55-60 kg) bout.

Boxers from State units and boards that finished in the Top 8 at the Elite Nationals are in action at the BFI Cup, joined by entries from SAI NCOE and host state Tamil Nadu. The lineup also includes participants from the last two Elite National Championships, Indian team members from the 2024 and 2025 Asian U-22 Championships, as well as medalists from international competitions since 2022.

Adding further depth to the competition are medalists from the Goa and Uttarakhand National Games, as well as the 6th Youth Nationals. All entries are routed through official State units and boards. The tournament will conclude with the men's finals tomorrow. (ANI)

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