Indian boxers Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen have been handed byes in their respective opening rounds at the Asian Boxing Championships 2026, which starts in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Monday.
Taking place at the ASA Arena, the championships will run through to the finals on April 9 and 10. The event brings together almost 200 boxers, including more than 20 Olympians, from 21 national federations across Asia, comprising 115 men and 79 women.
In the women’s draw, Preeti Pawar will face Elina Bazarova of Kazakhstan in the 54kg category, while Priya takes on Rimma Volossenko, another Kazakh, in the 60kg division.
World champion Minakshi Hooda will face Japan’s Yuka Sadamatsu while Olympian Pooja Rani goes up against Kazakhstan’s Nadezhda Ryabets.
Meanwhile, Jaismine Lamboria, Ankushita Boro, Arundhati Choudhary and Alfiya Pathan received first-round byes, joining Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain and former world champion Nikhat Zareen in advancing directly to the next stage.
On the men’s side, Indian boxer Vishvanath Suresh opens against Kyrgyzstan’s Bekzat Ergeshov, while Jadumani Singh faces top seed Rui Yamaguchi of Japan in a tough 55kg bout.
Sachin will take on local favourite Buyandalai Bayarkhuu, Aditya Pratap Singh faces Saudi pugilist Mouda Alhawsaw and Deepak meets Khavasbek Asadullaev of Uzbekistan.
Ankush and Narender progress with byes, while Akash, Lokesh, and Harsh Choudhary are also set for key bouts in their respective categories.
India have sent a 20-member boxing squad for the continental championships. Indian boxers who reach the finals in approved weight categories will secure direct qualification for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/asian-boxing-championships-2026-draw-indian-boxers-first-round
