Caught in BFI politics, women boxers defy diktat at Nationals | Boxing News

Photo Credit: @BFI_Official on X

GREATER NOIDA: Imposing flexboard cutouts of Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen greet you at the entrance of the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik sports complex. Inside, noisy action from the elite women’s boxing nationals resonates in the hall. But it is a very sparse tournament that is finally taking place after being postponed twice — first in November 2024 and then in January 2025.
You soon realize that Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina from Assam and two-time world champion Nikhat of Telanga-na are only present as publicity. On Ring ‘A’, representing Punjab, veteran Simranjit Kaur is summoning all her tactical acumen in outclassing Prachi of the Railways Sports Promotion Board. It is a unanimous decision for Simranjit, a World and Asian championships medallist in the lightweight (60kg) quarterfinal.
In the red corner on an adjacent ring, Rajasthan’s Shweta was outmanoeuvring Tamil Nadu’s Anitha P with precise hooks and jabs to secure her place in the semis of light mid-dleweight (70kg) category.
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Hosted by the Uttar Pradesh Boxing Association (UPBA) after the original allottee, Mad-hya Pradesh, failed to conduct this key event, the nationals have been severely affected by factionalism in the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), where the now-suspended secretary general Hemanta Kalita, treasurer Digvijay Singh and vice-president Rajesh Bhandari have broken away from president Ajay Singh, who seeks his third consecutive term as federation head.
As a result, the nationals witnessed pullouts from member associations after dissenting factions called for a boycott, with threat of repercussions if the call was disobeyed.
TOI has learnt that Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh and Union Territories Andaman & Nicobar, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Jammu & Kashmir, Lakshadweep and Puducherry haven’t sent teams.
The event is headlined mainly by elite boxers from Haryana, Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), All India Police and the RSPB. But such is the optics at the event that in some instances, as conveyed by boxers from Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Telangana and Rajasthan, they were flown in gratis by Ajay Singh’s SpiceJet airline.
“Our team’s train tickets were booked from Bagdogra for the March 17 Nationals. Then I learnt that it had been postponed. Two days later, we received a call that the BFI is providing us complimentary flight tickets,” Sikkim’s Yasika Rai, 48kg boxer told TOI. “My federation had instructed me to boycott the event, but I chose to attend.”
Not far, Olympian Simranjit chose to compete for “personal growth”.
“Women’s boxing has endured considerable setbacks due to federation politics,” she said, “I am here for my personal growth. I am here for boxing and my own future.”
Caught in the officials’ in-fighting, several boxers chose to attend the nationals for participation certificates in the hope of government employment.
“My state association boycotted the event, but I really wanted to compete here,” a Telangana boxer said. “Boxing is impor- tant for my financial sustainability. Whatever little I earn through boxing helps feed my family. I need the participation certificate, as it can help in securing a government job in my state,” she said.
Simranjit, Jaismine enter semifinals
World Championships bronze winner Simranjit and Commonwealth Games medallist Jaismine Lamboria continued their dominance at the Senior Nationals, storming into the semifinals with commanding victories here on Tuesday.
Simranjit, the first female boxer from Punjab to compete at the Olympics, landed some well-placed left crosses and hooks to score a unanimous 5:0 quarterfinal win over Railways’ Prachi in the 60 kg category.
Jaismine, representing Services, relied on her counter-attacking tactics to secure another RSC (Referee Stops the Contest) win, this time against Tamil Nadu’s Hannah Joy, who lasted only two rounds in the 57kg lasteight stage clash.