Indian women boxers training hard at NSNIS Patiala with the aim of winning medals at Asian Games 2026
Nikhat Zareen, Parveen Hooda and Minakshi Hooda are part of the national camp being organised at the Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports (NSNIS), Patiala, in preparation for the upcoming Asian Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, scheduled from March 28 to April 11, 2026.
Patiala, February 10: Fresh from impressive performances at the World Boxing Cup Finals at Greater Noida in November 2025, Indian women pugilists are targeting a rich medal haul at the Asian Boxing Championships as part of their build-up to the Asian Games 2026.
Led by Nikhat Zareen (51kg) and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), the Indian women boxers dominated the World Boxing Cup Finals, winning 7 out of 10 gold medals. The other gold medallists included Minakshi Hooda (48kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Parveen Hooda (60kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) and Nupur Sheoran (80+kg).
The ongoing national camp is being conducted under the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Annual Calendar for Training & Competition (ACTC) in collaboration with the Boxing Federation of India (BFI).
Proving her doubters wrong, Nikhat Zareen made a strong comeback after a six-month injury layoff due to a meniscus tear at the 2025 World Championship in Liverpool, where she reached the quarter-finals. Her gold medal at the World Boxing Cup Finals provided a much-needed confidence boost following her disappointment at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“I was very happy to end the year 2025 with a gold medal in November. Further, I began the new year on a winning note, emerging as the national champion with my good performance at the Senior Nationals. So, it gives me immense pleasure that I am getting back in form and delivering consistently. 2026 is a very important year and hopefully I will win gold in all the important events lined up this year to make India proud.”
— Nikhat Zareen
Sparring with male boxers and making key technical adjustments has paid dividends for Nikhat, as she focuses on major multi-sport events such as the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July 23 to August 2, 2026) and the Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya, Japan (September 19 to October 4, 2026).
Supported under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), the 29-year-old has credited consistent feedback from coaches and diversified sparring sessions for her improved performances.
Parveen Hooda, a former Asian Championships gold medallist and World Championships bronze medallist, said that defeating Poland’s World Championships silver medallist Aneta Rygielska in the semi-finals and Olympian Ayaka Taguchi of Japan in the final were highlights of her World Boxing Cup Finals campaign.
“World Cup Finals was my comeback event as I had participated in an international level tournament after a long time due to injury. My opponents in the event were very accomplished boxers so the event was very good for me.”
— Parveen Hooda
Parveen also credited head coach Santiago Nieva for improving her fitness and technical skills. Nieva previously served as the High Performance Director for Indian boxing from 2017 to 2021.
“Santiago sir’s periodisation plans and emphasis on fitness and technique have been very useful. I have worked on my strength and power, and with major events ahead, we are planning to peak at the right time.”
— Parveen Hooda
World Champion in the 48kg category, Minakshi Hooda is currently focusing on improving her footwork and leg strength to prepare for upcoming international competitions. She won India’s first gold at the World Boxing Cup Finals after defeating Uzbekistan’s Fozilova Farzona.
“Footwork is crucial for my style of boxing. With the new coach and training regime, I am confident of clinching a medal at the Asian Games in Japan.”
— Minakshi Hooda
With structured training, technical refinement and strong international form, Indian women boxers are confident of delivering medal-winning performances at the Asian Games 2026.