Hawa Singh's grandchild packs a punch, wins gold
New Delhi:
At the home of the Sheorans in Bhiwani, there is a photograph of boxer Nupur, then eighteen months old, sitting in the lap of her grandmother Angoori Devi and flanked by her grandfather, Captain Hawa Singh, the Indian boxing legend who won consecutive Asian Games gold medals in 1966 and 1970.
Nupur has no memory of her grandfather, who passed away soon after that picture was taken. But she grew up listening to her grandfather's exploits, in an environment where life revolved around the sport. Her father, Sanjay Singh, a former international boxer, and mother Mukesh, an Asian medallist for India in basketball, regaled young Nupur with tales of her grandfather's swift punches and calm demeanour.
Now 26 and standing six-foot tall in the ring, mirroring her grandfather's towering presence, Nupur displayed her indomitable spirit at the World Boxing Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan.
It was like Hawa Singh's legacy thundering back to life through Nupur's fists.
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On Sunday, she faced Kazakhstan's Yeldana Talipova in the +80 kg category final. The opening round saw her falter, the home crowd's roar fuelling Talipova's aggression. But Nupur, with the poise similar to her grandfather, turned the tide. Her footwork sharpened, her punches landed with precision, and her strategy outwitted her opponent in rounds two and three.
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The unanimous 5:0 verdict was a testament to her dominance. As she stood on the podium, gold around her neck, Nupur's victory felt like a bridge between eras, connecting a granddaughter's triumph to her grandfather's storied past. 'I never saw him fight, but I feel him in every jab I throw. This gold is for him and for every girl in Bhiwani who was at some point told boxing isn't for her,' she said.
Nupur's gold capped off a medal-laden tournament for India. With 11 medals – three gold, five silver, and three bronze – India secured a second-place finish, marking their best-ever haul at the prestigious event. Besides Nupur,
Sakshi Chaudhary
(women's 54 kg) and
Jaismine Lamboria
(women's 57 kg) were the gold-medal winners.
Jugnoo (men's 85kg), Pooja Rani (women's 80kg), Hitesh Gulia (men's 70kg) and Abhinash Jamwal (men's 65kg) won silver medals.
Sanju (women's 60kg), Nikhil Dubey (men's 75kg) and Narender (men's 90+ kg) won a bronze each. It was Sakshi's opening gold that set the tone for the day. The 24-year-old twotime youth world champion, who trained at the famed Bhiwani Boxing Club (BBC) under noted coach Jagdish Singh, has now set her sights on the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool from Sept 4-14.
'I can do better,' Sakshi said after her win. 'The signs are positive, but I have to keep pushing. I want to use this win as motivation going forward.'
Jaismine, 23, brought a different flavor to India's campaign. Tall (5 feet 9 inches) and composed, her long reach and counter-attacking style have earned her a reputation as a thinker in the ring.
Against Brazil's Jucielen Cequeira Romeu in the final, Jaismine faced a gruelling test.
The first two rounds were neckand-neck. But in the final round, Jaismine's strategy shone. The 4:1 verdict was a nod to her composure under pressure, a gold that symbolized triumph over doubt — in the ring and beyond.
For Jaismine, the gold was the culmination of a deep, strategic transformation. The turning point came after her campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she exited in the Round of 32. Though in her first Olympics, the outcome left her with a burning desire to improve. What followed was more than five months of intense selfreinvention – not just in the gym, but in her mindset. Jaismine immersed herself in strength and conditioning, focusing on building stamina, muscle endurance and the ability to land high-impact punches in crunch situations.
'I knew I had to be more than just being aggressive, I had to become smarter,' Jaismine said after her win in Astana. 'Not just attack, but think on the move and deliver when stakes are high.'
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
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