Indian Boxing Legends of All Time

The Indian boxing scene in the 21st century has been nothing short of remarkable. The uprising has been a blend of the basic development from the bottom up, and sponsorships funded by the state. These training programs paved the way for some of the world's best boxers to reach stardom. A few names, like Mary Kom and Vijender Singh, surpassed the sport and became a global phenomenon beyond boxing, bringing awareness of the beauty of the sport while changing the perception and prejudice in local communities. Thanks to them, and many more athletes, today we have a new generation of promising Indian fighters who also popularized bett on boxing, especially among their countrymen. Indian boxing today is confidently standing as one of the powers to reckon with in the sport.
Mary Kom
Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte, known globally as Mary Kom, is India's most decorated boxer and an icon in women's sports. She comes from a humble beginning, being born in 1982 in the village of Kangathei, Manipur. As a girl who wanted to become a boxing champion Mary Kom often faced doubt and lack of support in her community. Regardless of many hurdles, Kom went on to become the first Indian female boxer to win an Olympic medal bronze in London, 2012. Mary Kom won six gold medals at the World Championships, one silver and one bronze. The mother of four had her ups and downs throughout her lengthy career, taking frequent breaks due to pregnancies, but always managing to maintain top form. Even today, at 43 years old, Mary Kom continues to serve the sport through mentorship to young girls.
However, the biggest legacy that Mary Kom is going to leave behind one day is her role in validating female boxing in India by being the role model for many upcoming athletes and standing as the epitome of resilience and perseverance.
Vijender Singh
Vijender Singh wrote the history of boxing in India when he won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was the first Olympic medal for India in boxing ever, launching Singh into the world of fame and fortune. His Olympic success was followed by a bronze at the 2009 World Championships and many medals at the Asian Games. In 2015 he turned pro, making him one of the first Indian boxers who transitioned to professional boxing further boosting the popularity of the sport in India, while also making the world take notice of the boxing scene in his home country.
After retiring from his stellar career as a middleweight boxer, Vijender Singh turned to politics building his career with limited success. Still, it made him a household name in India, and on betting platforms such as Stake.com where Indian boxers are one of the most popular prospects among the bettors, and sports enthusiasts.
Lovlina Borgohain
Lovlina Borgohain was born in the northeast of the country in Baramukhia village, Assam in 1997. Her older twin sisters introduced her to boxing in elementary school where she learned her first moves. Standing at 5' 10', or 1.77m tall, with long reaching arms and powerful counterattacks, Lovlina made quite a splash in the female boxing scene. She won bronze medals at the AIBA World Championships in 2018 and 2019. However, her fame reached its peak when she won bronze at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
Lovlina became a symbol for rags to riches stories since she served as an inspiration for many girls from the less developed regions of the country to follow their passion for sports. In 2022, Borgohain was elected as the chair and a voting member on the board of directors for the International Boxing Association Boxing Committee where she continues to promote boxing to young underprivileged girls across the country.
Amit Panghal
Amit Panghal is one of India's top male boxers in the light flyweight and flyweight categories. Coming from Haryana, just like Vijender Singh, he quickly captured the spotlight with his amazingly fast footwork and strategic mind. Panghal was the first Indian male boxer to win a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games and silver at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships. In Tokyo he was the main favorite to win an Olympic medal, but was surprisingly eliminated in early rounds. However, Panghal quickly bounced back, winning silver in 2021 at the Asian Championships. He was the face of Indian boxing in divisions that were historically dominated by countries with a long record of winning medals in the sport. Amit Panghal is still active in boxing and is expected to be one of the most successful athletes at the 2026 Asian Games.
Pooja Rani
Also coming from the northwest part of India, Haryana, Rani is a famous India's middleweight women-s boxing champion. This tough lady had to overcome many setbacks, including battling hostility from her own family, especially her father who banned her from being a boxer, since 'good children did not play boxing'. Rani was persistent and with the help of her coach, she managed to convince her dad to let her train again. Her first major international breakthrough came with a silver at the 2012 Asian Championships, followed by gold in both 2019 and 2021. In the Tokyo Olympics Pooja reached the quarterfinals.
Rani is most known for her strength and aggressive approach in the ring. She is also a symbol of resilience and determination since Rani also went through a bad burn of her hand which took her six months to overcome and go back to training. She is also very prominent when it comes to raising awareness about the mental health of athletes and the necessary support from family and community. Pooja continues to support and assist young talented girls in India to overcome the stigma of boxing being a male dominated sport taking away the fighting chance for girls who want to prove their abilities as female boxers.
Vikas Krishan
Vikas Krishan Yadav is another talented boxer from Haryana who represented India in three Olympic Games London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. However, the medal slipped away from him all three times. Still, Krishan has many other wins in the ring: World Championships 2011 bronze, Asian Games 2010 gold, and bronze in 2014, and 2018. In the Asian Championships, he won one silver and two bronze medals.
In 2018 Krishan turned pro which brought him great fame in the US. Along with his boxing career, he is well known for loudly voicing his concerns about training facilities and athlete welfare in India. Every boxer in India went through many problems before becoming famous, from the prejudice of the local community to the state's indifference to the sport. Krishan is recognizing that Indian boxing is still facing many stigmas, hampering the efforts of future generations.
Vikas Krishan is one of the first Indian boxers who reached international recognition and fame, serving as motivation for upcoming athletes.
Laishram Sarita Devi
Laishram Sarita Devi is one of India's most controversial boxers. She is a former World Champion and gold medalist from the Asian Games. Regardless of her many successes, Devi was best known for refusing a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games which were held in South Korea. Shi was brilliant up until the quarterfinals winning 3-0 where she met with Korean boxer, Park Ji Na. In the first two rounds Devi was a dominating force in the ring, showering Park in punches. The third round's highlight was the knockout by Devi, and she also controlled the fight in the last round. In the end, Laishram Sarita Devi was handed a defeat of 0-3, which was a shock result according to everyone else. Devi declined her third place medal and gave it to Park. Later she was suspended for one year by the International Boxing Association.
After the scandal, Devi continued to represent India in female boxing. She also became very outspoken about transparency and reform which is long overdue in boxing. Today, the retired champion is greatly active working with new talented girls who dream of becoming boxing champions. Devi will forever be remembered as the one who stood up to the system putting on the line her whole career and international reputation.
Shiva Thapa
Shiva Thapa, from Assam, is the youngest Indian boxer at only 18 years old, who went to the Olympic Games in London 2012. So far, the medals have evaded him, but he made his mark on many other international championships. In 2015, at the World Championship Thapa took bronze; from the Asian Games, he has three medals: one gold and two bronze. He also has many medals from Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games. Shiva Thapa along with Lovlina Borgohain, is promoting northeast India in boxing sports. This region is known for being one of the poorest areas in the country, and many children don't have access to sports facilities. For the past decade, Thapa has been working on bringing sports to the underprivileged kids of his home region and mentoring young talents from the northeast.
Manoj Kumar
Manoj Kumar is best known for winning the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the light welterweight category. He comes from a humble background, overcoming many financial problems and a lack of sports facilities for training. Kumar became known for his tricky defense tactics, which made him a difficult opponent in the ring. He went to two Olympic Games, in London and Rio, but remained without medals. However, he is well known in India and beyond as one of the most modest athletes in boxing for which he is greatly admired and celebrated for.
Kumar is very active with coaching young boxers in India and has vowed to reform the sport from its foundations seeing himself as the servant of boxing by supporting children who don't have access to decent facilities and infrastructure.
Akhil Kumar
Akhil Kumar was known for his unorthodox guard down defense. However, he found his fame in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing when he beat the reigning champion, Russian Sergey Vodopyanov, in round 16. The match was very close, and was decided based on count back. His victory was greatly celebrated in India, which catapulted him into the very center of boxing sport in his home country. In the quarterfinals, he faced Veaceslav Gojan of Moldova and despite a fierce effort, Akhil lost 10-3, narrowly missing out on the Olympic medal.
However, his fights at the Olympics were seen as highlights of Indian boxing. Later he was plagued with injuries that greatly impacted his career making him unable to compete on a high level. Once he finished his career as a boxer, Kumar turned to coaching while becoming a police officer in Haryana.
Nikhat Zareen
Nikhat Zareen is an Indian rising star in female boxing. In 2011 she won the Junior World Championship, setting the stage for her arrival in the Senior category. In 2022, Zareen won a gold medal in IBA Women's World Championships. She turned heads with aggressive attacks in the ring, dominating and going for her opponent from the opening bell.
Nikhat Zareen's conflict with Mary Kom over the Olympic selection for the Tokyo 2020 Games became one of the worst controversies in Indian boxing. Zareen was on a winning streak and demanded that boxers be sent to the Olympics based on their performances instead of giving them a free pass, a direct entry. It sparked many debates in India, with many taking Zareen's side who stood her ground throughout the process.
In the end, Nikhat Zareen did not participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, she managed to find motivation from the controversy of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics. In her Olympic debut, she won her opening bout but was eliminated in the Round of 16.
Before going to Paris, Zareen won gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, becoming a two time world champion. It was perfect proof that she deserved her spot in Tokyo and was unfairly left behind.
The Future of Indian Boxing
Today, the future of Indian boxing is at a crossroads. Investing in sports facilities goes a long way, and now the state has to focus on going to every corner of the country in search for the young talents. As far as the future, it seems like we'll see Indians becoming a global force in boxing, standing on the podiums of many international championships.

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