Boxer Preeti shocks world champion Huang

greater noida: Rising Indian boxer Preeti Pawar stunned Olympic medallist and three-time world champion Huang Hsiao-Wen of Chinese Taipei, while Arundhati Choudhary and Parveen Hooda marked successful international returns with contrasting wins to enter the gold medal bouts of the World Boxing Cup Finals here on Tuesday.

Minakshi Hooda (48kg), Nupur (+80kg), Ankush Phangal (80kg), Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) and Narender Berwal (+90kg) also advanced to the finals in their respective weight categories.

The talented Preeti (54kg) refused to let the experienced Huang find rhythm, cutting off angles and denying the reigning world champion any momentum en route to a commanding 4-0 win. “I knew she is a world champion, but to become a world champion, you must beat a world champion. That was my mindset going into the bout — that I have to give my 100 per cent and win in front of the home crowd,” Preeti said.

Arundhati, returning after a one-and-a-half-year international hiatus due to a wrist injury, showed no signs of rust. She registered a resounding third-round RSC (Referee Stops Contest) win over World Cup medallist Leonie Müller of Germany in the 70kg semifinals.

She dominated the first two rounds with clean aggression, dropped the German once in the second round and knocked her down again in the third to seal a clinical win. “I was nervous to begin with because my last international experience was a loss in the Paris (2024 Olympics) qualifiers before I underwent wrist surgery. But I told myself, ‘This is what I’ve been waiting for,’ and now I’m back,” she said.

World Championship bronze medallist Parveen scraped through with a narrow 3-2 win over Poland’s world silver medallist Rygielska Aneta Elżbieta in

the 60kg event.