BFI Cup 2025: World silver medallist Manju Rani, Ankushita, Arundhati, Priya, Parveen reach semis

Chennai, Oct 4 (IANS) The women’s draw produced some standout results as World Championships silver medallist Manju Rani (Railways) led the charge with a commanding 5:0 win to reach the semifinals of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) Cup 2025.

World Youth champion Ankushita Boro (Assam), former Youth World Champion Arundhati Choudhary (Services), U-22 silver medalist Priya (Haryana), and World Championships bronze medalist Parveen Hooda (SAI) also cruised through with dominant victories, ensuring a high-quality line-up in the semifinal stage.

In an endeavour to provide upcoming boxers a platform to showcase their skills and established stars an opportunity to test their preparations, BFI will host 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.

In the men’s section, World Cup Brazil bronze medallist Manish Rathore (AIP), U-22 Asian bronze medallist Rocky (AIP), and Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (Services) continued their fine form to progress further, maintaining Services’ strong momentum in the competition.

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 and the 6th Youth Nationals. All entries are routed through official State units and boards.

Earlier on Friday, World Championships bronze medalist Mohammad Husamuddin (Services) lived up to his reputation as one of India’s most reliable performers on the big stage, cruising through his opening bout at the BFI Cup Elite Men’s Boxing Championship 2025 with a dominant 5:0 verdict over Services' Harsh.

--IANS

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