Akhil Kumar has urged Indian boxing authorities to prioritise women boxers in planning for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, pointing to their standout performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The former boxer said the women’s programme currently offers India a stronger prospect of Olympic medals than the men’s side.
India recorded its best-ever boxing return at the Commonwealth Games with seven gold medals, six of them won by women. The Indian women also collected medals in all seven weight categories on the Glasgow programme, finishing with six gold medals and one silver.
Kumar, the only Indian boxer to win gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, said the results should shape the long-term approach to Los Angeles 2028. Women’s boxing has already delivered India’s two Olympic boxing medallists: M C Mary Kom won bronze at London 2012 and Lovlina Borgohain won bronze at Tokyo 2021.
Women’s results strengthen the case for LA 2028 focus
“They are clearly delivering better results,” Kumar said in a telephonic interview to PTI. “The weight categories are also increasing, they deserve to be prioritised. Among the current crop of male boxers, I don’t really think there is anyone who can be an Olympic medallist at this stage. If there is a drastic improvement going forward, which I hope there is, I will change my view.”
The Glasgow Commonwealth Games marked gender parity in boxing, with seven weight categories for women and seven for men. Those divisions are also set to be used at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
While India’s women earned six golds and a silver across the seven categories, the men returned two gold medals and a silver. Kumar said the growing women’s competition makes India’s success more significant, even as he believes the programme is well placed to produce more than one Olympic medal in 2028.
“At this point, it’s the women boxers who have the advantage,” Kumar said. “We have adapted to the expansion of the sport quite well and given how it has grown, I guess India is better positioned to deliver more than one Olympic medal in women’s boxing in 2028.”
The women’s event in Glasgow featured 70 boxers from 43 countries, compared with 59 participants from 55 countries at the previous edition. The men’s competition had 131 boxers from 43 countries, down from 172 entrants from 55 nations in 2022.
Kumar singled out Jaismine Lamboria, who won gold at 57kg, and 51kg champion Sakshi Chaudhary among the women’s team. He also identified 55kg silver medallist Jadumani Singh as a male boxer with potential.
“I have been talking about how good Jaismine is for a very long time, so I am not surprised that she has won gold, also Sakshi was a revelation,” he said. On Jadumani, Kumar cited his speed, power, distance control and confidence as a southpaw.
However, Kumar also stressed that India will face a stiffer test at the Asian Games, where boxers from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, along with Japan and Korea, will be part of the competition.
Kumar calls for clear selection trials and new boxing heroes
Beyond Olympic planning, Kumar criticised a seeding-based selection system that had drawn controversy before trials were conducted for the Commonwealth Games team following intervention from the Sports Authority of India. He said trials should remain the central basis for selecting boxers.
“Boxing is about fighting three rounds of three minutes,” Kumar said. “Beyond that, who can run faster or what time they show up at training means absolutely nothing.” He said training-related measures should only be considered if a trial produced a tied result between boxers of similar calibre.
Kumar also said Indian boxing needs athletes who can inspire a new generation, recalling the impact of Vijender Singh’s Olympic bronze at Beijing 2008 and the attention created by his own run to the quarter-finals. For now, he believes sustained performance and relatable sporting stories are both needed as India builds towards Los Angeles 2028.
