Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

14 Min Read

Boxers like Mary Kom, Amit Panghal, and Vijender Singh have taken India to new heights with their stellar performances, winning medals at the Olympics and many international events.

The rise of boxing in India happened in the 21st century and it is nothing short of a miracle. From Mary Kom and Vijender Singh to Amit Panghal and Lovlina Borgohain, India has consistently seen great boxers in the last few years. India’s journey to becoming a powerhouse in the world of boxing has not been easy.

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

India’s Journey of Boxing

Boxing in India was born in ancient times but it became known as a sport after the formation of the Bombay Presidency Amateur Boxing Federation in the year 1925. After this, India did win some matches in boxing but since the year 2000, India has consistently won at the international level and made its mark.

There were a few main sources that fuelled the growth of the sport in India and helped it rise through the ranks.

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

The first of these was the Indian Army.

From double Asian Games gold medallist Hawa Singh to World No. 1 Amit Panghal, the Indian Army has been at the forefront of promoting boxing talent in the country. The Boys Army project has been a resounding success. In fact, one-third of the Indian boxers at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were from the Indian Army.

The Bhiwani Boxing Club in Haryana is another such main centre from where consecutive world champions and Olympic medallists have represented India.

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Best Indian boxers who have made the country proud.

Mary Kom
Born on 24 November 1982 in the small village of Kangthei in Manipur, MC Mary Kom is India’s most successful boxer ever. She competes in lower-weight divisions such as pinweight, flyweight, and light flyweight. Mary has won the Amateur World Championships a record six times. She has participated in this tournament a total of eight times and she has won a medal each time. She is also the first Indian female boxer to win a medal at the Olympics by winning a bronze medal in London 2012.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

Mary Kom is also the mother of three sons and an adopted daughter. She has won gold medals in several Asian Championships as well as Asian and Commonwealth Games.

Vijender Singh
This boxer, a resident of Kaluvas village of Bhiwani district in Haryana, was born on 29 October 1985. Vijender Singh is the first male boxer from India to wave his flag around the world. He competes in the middleweight weight category. Vijender is the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal. He won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He made his Olympic debut at Athens 2004 and also presented his claim at the 2012 London Olympics.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

Vijender Singh is also the first male Indian boxer to win a World Championship medal. He won a bronze medal in the 75 kg category in 2009. Vijender took up professional boxing in 2015 and made his mark there too. He has an impressive record with 12 wins and just one loss.

Lovlina Borgohain

Lovlina Borgohain rose to fame by winning a bronze medal in the welterweight division of boxing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This was the third Olympic medal won by an Indian boxer. She also became the world champion in the women’s 75kg category at the 2023 Women’s Boxing World Championships 2023 held in New Delhi.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

Lovlina Borgohain won a silver medal at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. This was her first appearance at the continental meet. Born on 2 October 1997, Lovlina hails from the Golaghat district of Assam and used to practice Muay Thai before choosing boxing. She has been rapidly rising through the ranks since winning consecutive bronze medals at the World Championships in 2018 and 2019.

Two-time Asian Championship medallist Lovlina Borgohain is currently serving as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Assam Police.

Amit Panghal

Amit Panghal was born on 16 October 1995 in Maina village, Rohtak, Haryana. The five-foot-two-inch boxer competes in the flyweight and light flyweight categories. The diminutive boxer won a gold medal in his first National Championship in 2017 and later became the first Indian boxer to win a silver medal at the World Championships.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

Amit Panghal represented India at Tokyo 2020 as the World No. 1 in the 52kg weight category but couldn’t progress after his opening bout. However, the boxer is still young and has the potential to bring many more medals to the country. Amit is currently serving as a Junior Commissioned Officer in the Indian Army.

Laishram Sarita Devi

Laishram Sarita Devi is another boxer from the North East of India who has made a name for herself globally. Sarita Devi was born on 1 March 1982 in Thoubal district of Manipur. She used to practice Kung-Fu before stepping into the boxing ring. Sarita Devi made headlines in the 2000s with her impressive performances. She won the title of World Champion in 2006 and Asian Champion five times between 2003 and 2012. She also won medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

 

Akhil Kumar
Two-time Olympian Akhil Kumar has played a key role in inspiring the younger generation of Bhiwani. Akhil Kumar, a member of the Bhiwani Boxing Club, was born on 27 March 1981 in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh. He started his international boxing career in the late 1990s and was one of the finest boxers in the bantamweight division.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

Akhil Kumar won a gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the Asian Championships the following year. He also participated in the Athens Olympics in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 before turning professional in 2017.

Shiva Thapa
Assamese boxer Shiva Thapa took over the reins of the bantamweight division after Akhil Kumar. Shiva was born on 8 December 1993. The boxer from Assam started making his mark on the international stage from an early age and won a silver medal in the 54kg weight category at the Youth Olympics held in 2010.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

Shiva Thapa entered the ring at the age of 18 in London in 2012 and also became the youngest Indian boxer to compete at the Olympics. After losing in the first round at the Olympics, Shiva Thapa won the gold medal at the Asian Championships 2013. Let us tell you that he has won two more silver and bronze in the continental meet. Shiva also won a bronze medal at the World Championships 2015.

Vikas Krishan

Another boxer from the famous Bhiwani Boxing Club, Vikas Krishan is a three-time Olympian. He was born on 10 February 1992 in Hisar, Haryana. Vikas Krishan first made headlines by becoming the Lightweight Youth World Champion in 2010 and also won a bronze from the Youth Olympics in the same year.

Vikas Krishan

The Haryana boxer also won gold at the Asian Games that year and followed it up with a bronze at the World Championships in 2011. Vikas Krishan’s medal cabinet includes medals from the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and Commonwealth Games. He has competed at London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.

Hawa Singh
Hawa Singh shot to fame in the early days of Indian boxing when he won 11 consecutive national medals between 1961 and 1972. He was born on 16 December 1937 in Umarwas, Haryana. He joined the Army in 1956 and dominated the continent over the next decade. He became the only Indian boxer to defend his Asian Games title, winning gold at two consecutive Asian Games in 1966 and 1970. After retiring, he played a role in setting up the influential Bhiwani Boxing Club.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

Dingko Singh

Dingko Singh was one of the first boxers to bring India’s name into the limelight around the world. He was born on 1 January 1979 in Sekta, Manipur. Dingko, a member of the famous Boys Army, made his international debut in 1997 and captured the King’s Cup held in Bangkok the same year.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

 

A year later, he created history by winning the gold medal in the 54 kg weight category of the 1998 Asian Games. This medal was India’s first boxing medal in the Games for 16 years. This gold medal inspired Mary Kom to boxing. Dingko Singh also represented India at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. He died on 10 June 2021 due to liver cancer.

Nikhat Zareen
Nikhat Zareen is a two-time world champion and the current Commonwealth Games champion in the 52 kg category. She also won a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Born on 14 June 1996 in Nizamabad, Telangana, Nikhat is a former junior world champion and also an Asian Championships bronze medalist.

Top Indian Boxers Of All Time

Best Indian Boxers

 

Boxing Medals

Mary Kom Olympics – Bronze (London 2012) World Championships – Gold (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2018), Silver (2001), Bronze (2019) Asian Games – Gold (2014), Bronze (2010) Asian Championships – Gold (2003, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2017), Silver (2008, 2021) Commonwealth Games – Gold (2018)

Vijender Singh Olympics – Bronze (2008) World Championships – Bronze (2009) Commonwealth Games – Silver (2006, 2014), Bronze (2010) Asian Games – Gold (2010), Bronze (2006) Asian Championships – Silver (2007), Bronze (2009)
Lovlina Borgohain Olympics – Bronze (Tokyo) 2020) World Championships – Bronze (2017, 2018) Asian Championships – Bronze (2017, 2021) Asian Games – Silver (2023)

Amit Panghal World Championships – Silver (2019) Asian Games – Gold (2018) Commonwealth Games – Silver (2018) Asian Championships – Gold (2019), Silver (2021), Bronze (2017)

Pooja Rani Asian Championships – Gold (2019, 2021), Silver (2012), Bronze (2015) Asian Games – Bronze (2014)

Vikash Krishnan World Championships – Bronze (2011) Asian Games – Gold (2010), Bronze (2014, 2018) Asian Championships – Silver (2015), Bronze (2017, 2021) Commonwealth Games – Gold (2018)

Laishram Sarita Devi World Championships – Gold (2006), Bronze (2005, 2008) Asian Championships – Gold (2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012), Silver (2001), Bronze (2017, 2019) Asian Games – Bronze (2014) Commonwealth Games – Silver (2014)

Shiva Thapa World Championships – Bronze (2015) Asian Championships – Gold (2013), Silver (2017, 2021), Bronze (2015, 2019)

Manoj Kumar Commonwealth Games – Gold (2010), Bronze (2018) Asian Championships – Bronze (2007, 2013)

Akhil Kumar Commonwealth Games – Gold (2006) Asian Championships – Bronze (2007)

Lekha KC World Championships – Gold (2006) Asian Championships – Gold (2005), Silver (2008)

Hawa Singh Asian Games – Gold (1966, 1970)

Dingko Singh Asian Games – Gold (1998)

Nikhat Zareen World Championships – Gold (2022, 2023) Commonwealth Games – Gold (2022) Asian Championships – Bronze (2019) Asian Games – Bronze (2023)

ALSO READ: Bowling Tips On How To Increase Bowling Speed