India continued its dominant run at the World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 as Pawan Bartwal (55kg) and Hitesh Gulia (70kg) produced two of the tournament’s biggest upsets on Day 2. Pawan stunned World Boxing Cup Brazil champion Altynbek Nursultan with a composed, tactical performance, earning the first international medal of his career. Hitesh followed with a dramatic 3:2 split-decision win over top seed and Asian Games gold medalist Sewon Okazawa, sealing India’s flawless day.
Pawan’s win was the highlight of the afternoon session as he used disciplined defence, smart tempo control, and relentless pressure to outbox the second-seeded Nursultan. In the night’s marquee bout, Hitesh delivered a powerful hook late in round 2 to gain an edge, and despite Okazawa’s late surge, held firm to secure one of India’s finest victories of the competition.
India’s winning streak continued as Sumit (75kg) dominated South Korea’s Kim Hyeon-tae 5:0, while Naveen (90kg) impressed with a composed win over Kazakhstan’s Bekzat Tangatar. Later, Jadumani Singh (50kg) opened his campaign with a strong unanimous win against Kazakhstan’s Nurzat Ongarov, showcasing aggressive intent from the start.
Elsewhere, top contenders from Taiwan, Uzbekistan, England, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine registered key victories across various divisions. Day 3 will feature ten Indians in the semifinals,
