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Khelo India — Ministry of Youth Affairs & SportsTarget Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) — MYAS via Mission Olympic CellSAI Sports Training Centre (STC) — Sports Authority of IndiaNational Sports Development Fund — MYASNational Coaching Development Scheme — SAIShiv Chhatrapati State Sports Award — Govt. of MaharashtraHaryana Medal Reward Policy — Govt. of HaryanaKhelo India — Ministry of Youth Affairs & SportsTarget Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) — MYAS via Mission Olympic CellSAI Sports Training Centre (STC) — Sports Authority of IndiaNational Sports Development Fund — MYASNational Coaching Development Scheme — SAIShiv Chhatrapati State Sports Award — Govt. of MaharashtraHaryana Medal Reward Policy — Govt. of Haryana
Combat

Boxing

Olympic medals from Mary Kom, Vijender Singh, Lovlina Borgohain. · 101 athlete profiles on SportSupport

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Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on BFI, World Boxing, IOA. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin
Ancient
Category
Combat
Olympic discipline
Yes
Paralympic discipline
No
Central pathway
Olympic (TOPS eligible)
Athlete profiles on SportSupport
101

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body
Boxing Federation of India
Ministry recognition
Boxing Federation of India — Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; no 2026 order is published on the Ministry list — as at 2025Source: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — List of recognised National Sports Federations
International federation
Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion
On the official Khelo India Games discipline list as "Boxing"Source: Sports Authority of India / Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — Discipline wise Participation in all editions of Khelo India Games (19th Edition) (2026-08-29)
TOPS eligibility
In scope — TOPS covers Olympic medal prospects
Olympic status
On the Olympic programme
Paralympic status
Not a Paralympic discipline

Boxing is listed on SportSupport in the combat category. Its recorded origin is Ancient. It is on the Olympic programme. We list Boxing Federation of India as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Olympic medals from Mary Kom, Vijender Singh, Lovlina Borgohain.

Boxing is on the pathway that runs through India's national sports federations to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), with selection running through Boxing Federation of India against its published benchmarks. Being on this pathway is not itself a statement that the discipline is currently in TOPS — TOPS covers a Core Group and a Development Group chosen by the Mission Olympic Cell. Boxing appears on the official Khelo India Games discipline list as "Boxing", so junior talent identified by the discipline's selectors can be considered under Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID). (Source: Sports Authority of India / Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — Discipline wise Participation in all editions of Khelo India Games (19th Edition).)

Indian Achievements

Hand-reviewed Olympic, Paralympic, World, Asian and Commonwealth milestones for India in boxing, compiled from the sources listed on this page. Last reviewed: September 2026.

  • Mary Kom — 6-time AIBA World Amateur Boxing Champion (only boxer, male or female); Olympic Bronze London 2012.
  • Vijender Singh — Olympic Bronze Beijing 2008 (first Indian boxing Olympic medal); World Championships bronze 2009.
  • Lovlina Borgohain — Olympic Bronze Tokyo 2020; World Championship gold 2023.
  • Nikhat Zareen — World Boxing Champion 2022 & 2023; CWG gold 2022.
  • India Women's Team — 4 gold medals at 2022 IBA Women's World Championships, Istanbul.

Famous Indian Players

Landmark boxing names from India, past and present.

  • Mary Kom
    6-time World Champion; Olympic bronze 2012; Padma Vibhushan.
  • Vijender Singh
    First Indian Olympic boxing medallist (Beijing 2008 bronze).
  • Nikhat Zareen
    Back-to-back World Champion 2022, 2023.
  • Lovlina Borgohain
    Olympic bronze Tokyo 2020; World gold 2023.
  • Amit Panghal
    World Championships silver 2019; Asian Games gold 2018.
  • Shiva Thapa
    Six-time Asian Championship medallist (three golds).

Notable Coaches

Head coaches and mentors behind India's leading boxing results.

  • Dmitry Dmitruk
    Recent India men's high-performance director.
  • Bhaskar Bhatt
    India women's team head coach; multiple World Championship medals under his charge.
  • Santiago Nieva
    Former India men's high-performance director (Argentina).
  • Blas Iglesias Fernandez
    Cuban coach who worked with several TOPS boxers including Amit Panghal.
All coaches directory →

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for boxing athletes in India.

  • Inspire Institute of Sport — Boxing High Performance

    Full-scholarship residential high-performance centre for elite boxers at Vijayanagar.

  • SAI NCoE Boxing (Patiala, Rohtak, Bhopal, Aizawl)

    SAI National Centres of Excellence for boxing with stipend and boarding.

  • Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)

    Monthly stipend (₹10,000 for selected Khelo India athletes), boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.

  • Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

    Central government scheme covering training, foreign exposure, equipment and an out-of-pocket allowance (up to ₹50,000/month) for athletes inducted by the Mission Olympic Cell. The Sports Authority of India names boxing among the scheme's high-priority disciplines, though induction is still decided athlete by athlete.

  • National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)

    Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to boxing.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

101 profiles
Page 1 of 3
All boxing athlete profiles →

Rules

Two boxers in a ring exchange punches using only gloved fists above the belt, aiming to score more punches than the opponent or win by knockout/technical knockout. Amateur bouts run 3 rounds of 3 minutes; scoring is by judges awarding rounds or points per landed punch.

Authoritative rulebook: Boxing Federation of India. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across combat sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced boxing squad list.

  • Fighter / competitor
    Contests bouts inside the ring, mat or cage in a set weight category.
  • Corner / second
    Coach in the corner during the bout — allowed to instruct between rounds.
  • Referee & judges
    Officiate the bout, score rounds and enforce safety rules.
  • Cutman / medical
    Manages cuts, swelling and immediate medical needs between rounds.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in boxing at a federation-recognised event.

  • Boxing gloves (weight-class regulated)
  • Hand wraps
  • Mouthguard and headgear (amateur)
  • Boxing ring (roped square platform)

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport

Boxing Federation of India is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Boxing. Its recognition status as we hold it: Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports; no 2026 order is published on the Ministry list (as at 2025). Recognition is granted year by year, so read the federation profile for the source.

Origin
Ancient
Olympic
Yes
Paralympic
No
Category
Combat

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in boxing.

  • Elite Men's / Women's National Boxing Championships

    BFI's flagship senior national — main selection trial.

  • Youth Men's / Women's National Championships

    U-19 national feeding Youth World Championships.

  • Junior National Boxing Championships

    U-17 national under BFI.

  • All India Inter-University Boxing Championships

    AIU's senior university national.

  • Services / State-Board tournaments

    Indian Army, Air Force, Navy, and Railways meets that supply many national boxers.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in boxing.

  • Olympic Games (Boxing)

    Men's and women's weight categories; qualification via continental and World tournaments.

  • IBA / World Boxing World Championships

    Senior world championship (men's and women's separately).

  • Asian Games / Asian Boxing Championships

    Continental championships — India regularly wins multiple medals.

  • Commonwealth Games

    Men's and women's boxing.

  • Strandja Memorial, Bocskai, Ahmet Cömert

    European qualifiers and ranking events on the amateur circuit.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for boxing. The national championship under Boxing Federation of India remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised boxing athletes to know outside India.

  • Cuba (Team)
    Historically dominant in Olympic and World amateur boxing.
  • Kazakhstan
    Multiple World and Olympic medallists across weight categories.
  • Uzbekistan
    Men's team topped the medal table at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
  • Katie Taylor (Ireland)
    Olympic gold London 2012; undisputed professional world champion at multiple weights.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in boxing — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

  • Amateur international via BFI + TOPS support
  • Professional boxer under WBC/WBA/IBF/WBO sanctioning
  • BFI / AIBA-certified coach
  • Referee, judge and cutman at national and international level
  • Sports quota jobs in Indian Army (ASI), Air Force, Navy, Railways, ITBP
  • Sports medicine and combat-specific physiotherapy

Related academies

32 listed
  • Inspire Institute of SportElite
    Vijayanagar, Karnataka · Since 2018

    JSW-backed high-performance centre training Olympic medal hopefuls.

  • Mary Kom Regional Boxing FoundationNational
    Imphal, Manipur · Since 2007

    Founded by the six-time world champion to nurture northeast boxing talent.

  • Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, PatialaElite
    Patiala, Punjab · Since 1961

    Asia's largest sports institute and SAI's flagship coach-education and training campus.

  • SAI North-East Regional Centre, ImphalNational
    Imphal, Manipur · Since 1985

    Northeast's premier residential centre, running nine NCOE disciplines from archery and cycling to wushu and weightlifting.

  • SAI Central Regional Centre, BhopalNational
    Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh · Since 1990

    Hosts the only national sailing academy plus NCOE boxing, judo, wushu and kayaking & canoeing programmes.

  • Motilal Nehru School of SportsNational
    Sonipat, Haryana · Since 1973

    Haryana's residential sports school — a feeder for the state's medal factory.

  • Khelo India State Centre of Excellence, PanchkulaState
    Panchkula, Haryana

    Haryana's Khelo India State Centre of Excellence at the Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex.

  • Army Sports InstituteElite
    Pune, Maharashtra · Since 2001

    Indian Army's elite multi-sport institute producing Olympians and Asian Games medallists.

  • SAI National Boxing Academy, RohtakElite
    Rohtak, Haryana · Since 2017

    SAI National Centre of Excellence for boxing at the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, Rohtak.

  • Bhiwani Boxing ClubNational
    Bhiwani, Haryana

    The 'Little Cuba' boxing club listed in the Haryana State Boxing Association training-centre directory.

  • States Sports Academy, SarusajaiNational
    Guwahati, Assam

    Assam's Khelo India State Centre of Excellence at the Sarusajai sports complex, Guwahati.

  • Hockey Stadium, Sector 42, ChandigarhNational
    Chandigarh, Chandigarh

    Chandigarh's Khelo India State Centre of Excellence for hockey, boxing and rowing, and the home of SAI's Chandigarh regional centre since 2009.

Government Schemes

8 listed

Central and state schemes that fund training, stipends and awards for boxing athletes and academies.

All government schemes →

FAQs

Common questions about boxing in India.

Who governs Boxing in India?▾

We list Boxing Federation of India as the Indian governing/organising body for Boxing, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Boxing an Olympic sport?▾

Yes, Boxing is on the Olympic programme. Athletes selected by Boxing Federation of India against its published criteria can be considered for TOPS funding.

How do I start playing Boxing in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under Boxing Federation of India. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Boxing athletes?▾

The Sports Authority of India names Boxing among the Target Olympic Podium Scheme's high-priority disciplines, so medal-prospect athletes in it can be considered for TOPS support, and state governments give cash awards to medallists at events they notify. (Source: Sports Authority of India — https://sportsauthorityofindia.nic.in/sai_new/target-olympic-podium) Boxing appears on the official Khelo India Games discipline list as "Boxing", so athletes identified by the discipline's selectors can be considered under Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID). Appearing on the list is not itself a grant of funding.

Who is India's most successful boxer?▾

Mary Kom — 6-time World Amateur Champion, Olympic bronze medallist and Padma Vibhushan.

Where do India's top boxers train?▾

SAI NCoE Patiala and Rohtak, the Inspire Institute of Sport (Vijayanagar), and various services (Army, Air Force, Navy) boxing units.

Which weight categories are Olympic?▾

Paris 2024 featured 7 men's and 6 women's weight categories; the exact list is refreshed by the IOC every Olympic cycle.

Boxing in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Boxing in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.