India’s Preeti Pawar and Deepak won their respective opening round bouts at the Asian Boxing Championships 2026, which began in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Monday.
In the women’s 54kg category, Preeti Pawar, a gold medallist at the World Boxing Cup Finals, delivered a commanding performance to secure a 5-0 unanimous decision victory over former Asian U22 champion Elina Bazarova of Kazakhstan.
The men’s 70kg category saw Asian Youth Boxing Championships bronze medallist Deepak showcase tactical discipline and resilience in a composed performance that helped him edge past Uzbekistan’s Khavasbek Asadullaev with a 3-2 split decision win.
Meanwhile, Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) and former world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) were handed byes in their respective opening rounds.
Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Ankushita Boro (65kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) and Alfiya Pathan (80+kg) also received first-round byes.
Elsewhere, world champion Minakshi Hooda (48kg) will face Japan’s Yuka Sadamatsu while Olympian Pooja Rani (80kg) goes up against Kazakhstan’s Nadezhda Ryabets in their respective tournament openers on Tuesday.
In the men’s draw, Ankush (80kg) and Narender Berwal (90+kg) progressed with byes, while Jadumani Singh faces top seed Rui Yamaguchi of Japan in a tough 55kg bout.
Sachin Siwach (60kg) will take on local favourite Buyandalai Bayarkhuu while Aditya Pratap Yadav (65kg) is set to face Saudi pugilist Mouda Alhawsaw.
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.
The ongoing Asian Boxing Championships features 194 boxers, including more than 20 Olympians, from 21 national federations.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/asian-boxing-championships-2026-india-day-1-report
