NEW DELHI: India's top boxers, who made history at the international arena last year and have been nominated for the prestigious Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) 2024, are all set to battle for the top honours in the men's and women's categories.
The winner of the Boxer of the Year award will be unveiled at a glittering awards ceremony held on February 22 in the glorious city of Nawabs, Lucknow.
The TOISA 2025 Jury comprises of former long-jumper and senior vice-president of AFI, Anju Bobby George; Olympic medal-winning wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt; former captain of the Indian hockey team, Dilip Tirkey; Paralympic medalist Javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia; Olympic medallist and six-time world boxing champion Mary Kom.
Here are the boxers nominated for TOISA 2024:
Boxer of the Year - Men
Nishant Dev
Date of Birth: December 23, 2000
Place of Birth: Karnal, Haryana
Sport: Boxing (men’s)
Major Achievements in 2024
- Quarterfinals at Paris Olympics in Men’s 71kg class
Nishant Dev competed in the men’s 71kg category in boxing at the Paris Olympics and reached the quarter-finals. He beat Jose Rodriguez Tenorio but was beaten by Mexico’s Marco Verde.
Amit Panghal
Date of Birth: October 16, 1995
Place of Birth: Mayna, Rohtak, Haryana
Sport: Boxing (men’s)
Major Achievements in 2024
- Round of 16 at Paris Olympics in Men’s 51kg class
Amit Panghal, a World Championship silver-medallist, an Asian Games gold medallist, two-time Commonwealth Games medallist and three-time Asian Championships medallist, had a forgettable Paris Olympics. He lost in the first round of the men’s 51kg class to Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba.
Boxer of the Year - Women
Lovlina Borgohain
Date of Birth: October 2, 1997
Place of Birth: Baromukhia, Assam
Sport: Boxing (women’s)
Major Achievements in 2024:
- Quarter-finals at Paris Olympics in Women’s 75kg class
Lovlina Borgohain, a 2020 Olympics bronze medallist, was unable to make it back-to-back medals in Paris. The three-time World Championships medallist and Asian Games silver medal winner registered a commanding win over Sunniva Hofstad to start with. However, she lost to Li Qian in the quarterfinals. Lovlina was a winner at the TOISA 2021 edition.
Preeti Pawar
Date of Birth: October 23, 2003
Place of Birth: Bhiwani, Haryana
Sport: Boxing (women’s)
Major Achievements in 2024:
- Round of 16 at Paris Olympics in Women’s 54kg class
Preeti Pawar, a bronze medallist at the 2022 Asian Games, made the quarterfinals of the Women’s 54kg class at the Paris Olympics. She got the better of Vo Thi Kim Anh of Vietnam in the Round of 32 to start campaign positively. She then lost to Colombia’s Yeni Marcela Arias in the Round of 16
Nikhat Zareen
Date of Birth: June 14, 1996
Place of Birth: Nizamabad, Telangana
Sport: Boxing (women’s)
Major Achievements in 2024:
- Round of 16 at Paris Olympics in Women’s 50kg class
Nikhat Zareen, a two-time world champion, and a medallist at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships, reached the Round of 16 in Women's 50kg Boxing at the Paris Olympics. After a unanimous win, she lost by the same margin to China's Wu Yu in the pre-quarters.
