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Hans India
a day ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Indian Boxing Legends of All Time
The Indian boxing scene in the 21st century has been nothing short of remarkable. The uprising has been a blend of the basic development from the bottom up, and sponsorships funded by the state. These training programs paved the way for some of the world's best boxers to reach stardom. A few names, like Mary Kom and Vijender Singh, surpassed the sport and became a global phenomenon beyond boxing, bringing awareness of the beauty of the sport while changing the perception and prejudice in local communities. Thanks to them, and many more athletes, today we have a new generation of promising Indian fighters who also popularized bett on boxing, especially among their countrymen. Indian boxing today is confidently standing as one of the powers to reckon with in the sport. Mary Kom Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte, known globally as Mary Kom, is India's most decorated boxer and an icon in women's sports. She comes from a humble beginning, being born in 1982 in the village of Kangathei, Manipur. As a girl who wanted to become a boxing champion Mary Kom often faced doubt and lack of support in her community. Regardless of many hurdles, Kom went on to become the first Indian female boxer to win an Olympic medal bronze in London, 2012. Mary Kom won six gold medals at the World Championships, one silver and one bronze. The mother of four had her ups and downs throughout her lengthy career, taking frequent breaks due to pregnancies, but always managing to maintain top form. Even today, at 43 years old, Mary Kom continues to serve the sport through mentorship to young girls. However, the biggest legacy that Mary Kom is going to leave behind one day is her role in validating female boxing in India by being the role model for many upcoming athletes and standing as the epitome of resilience and perseverance. Vijender Singh Vijender Singh wrote the history of boxing in India when he won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was the first Olympic medal for India in boxing ever, launching Singh into the world of fame and fortune. His Olympic success was followed by a bronze at the 2009 World Championships and many medals at the Asian Games. In 2015 he turned pro, making him one of the first Indian boxers who transitioned to professional boxing further boosting the popularity of the sport in India, while also making the world take notice of the boxing scene in his home country. After retiring from his stellar career as a middleweight boxer, Vijender Singh turned to politics building his career with limited success. Still, it made him a household name in India, and on betting platforms such as where Indian boxers are one of the most popular prospects among the bettors, and sports enthusiasts. Lovlina Borgohain Lovlina Borgohain was born in the northeast of the country in Baramukhia village, Assam in 1997. Her older twin sisters introduced her to boxing in elementary school where she learned her first moves. Standing at 5' 10', or 1.77m tall, with long reaching arms and powerful counterattacks, Lovlina made quite a splash in the female boxing scene. She won bronze medals at the AIBA World Championships in 2018 and 2019. However, her fame reached its peak when she won bronze at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. Lovlina became a symbol for rags to riches stories since she served as an inspiration for many girls from the less developed regions of the country to follow their passion for sports. In 2022, Borgohain was elected as the chair and a voting member on the board of directors for the International Boxing Association Boxing Committee where she continues to promote boxing to young underprivileged girls across the country. Amit Panghal Amit Panghal is one of India's top male boxers in the light flyweight and flyweight categories. Coming from Haryana, just like Vijender Singh, he quickly captured the spotlight with his amazingly fast footwork and strategic mind. Panghal was the first Indian male boxer to win a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games and silver at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships. In Tokyo he was the main favorite to win an Olympic medal, but was surprisingly eliminated in early rounds. However, Panghal quickly bounced back, winning silver in 2021 at the Asian Championships. He was the face of Indian boxing in divisions that were historically dominated by countries with a long record of winning medals in the sport. Amit Panghal is still active in boxing and is expected to be one of the most successful athletes at the 2026 Asian Games. Pooja Rani Also coming from the northwest part of India, Haryana, Rani is a famous India's middleweight women-s boxing champion. This tough lady had to overcome many setbacks, including battling hostility from her own family, especially her father who banned her from being a boxer, since 'good children did not play boxing'. Rani was persistent and with the help of her coach, she managed to convince her dad to let her train again. Her first major international breakthrough came with a silver at the 2012 Asian Championships, followed by gold in both 2019 and 2021. In the Tokyo Olympics Pooja reached the quarterfinals. Rani is most known for her strength and aggressive approach in the ring. She is also a symbol of resilience and determination since Rani also went through a bad burn of her hand which took her six months to overcome and go back to training. She is also very prominent when it comes to raising awareness about the mental health of athletes and the necessary support from family and community. Pooja continues to support and assist young talented girls in India to overcome the stigma of boxing being a male dominated sport taking away the fighting chance for girls who want to prove their abilities as female boxers. Vikas Krishan Vikas Krishan Yadav is another talented boxer from Haryana who represented India in three Olympic Games London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. However, the medal slipped away from him all three times. Still, Krishan has many other wins in the ring: World Championships 2011 bronze, Asian Games 2010 gold, and bronze in 2014, and 2018. In the Asian Championships, he won one silver and two bronze medals. In 2018 Krishan turned pro which brought him great fame in the US. Along with his boxing career, he is well known for loudly voicing his concerns about training facilities and athlete welfare in India. Every boxer in India went through many problems before becoming famous, from the prejudice of the local community to the state's indifference to the sport. Krishan is recognizing that Indian boxing is still facing many stigmas, hampering the efforts of future generations. Vikas Krishan is one of the first Indian boxers who reached international recognition and fame, serving as motivation for upcoming athletes. Laishram Sarita Devi Laishram Sarita Devi is one of India's most controversial boxers. She is a former World Champion and gold medalist from the Asian Games. Regardless of her many successes, Devi was best known for refusing a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games which were held in South Korea. Shi was brilliant up until the quarterfinals winning 3-0 where she met with Korean boxer, Park Ji Na. In the first two rounds Devi was a dominating force in the ring, showering Park in punches. The third round's highlight was the knockout by Devi, and she also controlled the fight in the last round. In the end, Laishram Sarita Devi was handed a defeat of 0-3, which was a shock result according to everyone else. Devi declined her third place medal and gave it to Park. Later she was suspended for one year by the International Boxing Association. After the scandal, Devi continued to represent India in female boxing. She also became very outspoken about transparency and reform which is long overdue in boxing. Today, the retired champion is greatly active working with new talented girls who dream of becoming boxing champions. Devi will forever be remembered as the one who stood up to the system putting on the line her whole career and international reputation. Shiva Thapa Shiva Thapa, from Assam, is the youngest Indian boxer at only 18 years old, who went to the Olympic Games in London 2012. So far, the medals have evaded him, but he made his mark on many other international championships. In 2015, at the World Championship Thapa took bronze; from the Asian Games, he has three medals: one gold and two bronze. He also has many medals from Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games. Shiva Thapa along with Lovlina Borgohain, is promoting northeast India in boxing sports. This region is known for being one of the poorest areas in the country, and many children don't have access to sports facilities. For the past decade, Thapa has been working on bringing sports to the underprivileged kids of his home region and mentoring young talents from the northeast. Manoj Kumar Manoj Kumar is best known for winning the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the light welterweight category. He comes from a humble background, overcoming many financial problems and a lack of sports facilities for training. Kumar became known for his tricky defense tactics, which made him a difficult opponent in the ring. He went to two Olympic Games, in London and Rio, but remained without medals. However, he is well known in India and beyond as one of the most modest athletes in boxing for which he is greatly admired and celebrated for. Kumar is very active with coaching young boxers in India and has vowed to reform the sport from its foundations seeing himself as the servant of boxing by supporting children who don't have access to decent facilities and infrastructure. Akhil Kumar Akhil Kumar was known for his unorthodox guard down defense. However, he found his fame in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing when he beat the reigning champion, Russian Sergey Vodopyanov, in round 16. The match was very close, and was decided based on count back. His victory was greatly celebrated in India, which catapulted him into the very center of boxing sport in his home country. In the quarterfinals, he faced Veaceslav Gojan of Moldova and despite a fierce effort, Akhil lost 10-3, narrowly missing out on the Olympic medal. However, his fights at the Olympics were seen as highlights of Indian boxing. Later he was plagued with injuries that greatly impacted his career making him unable to compete on a high level. Once he finished his career as a boxer, Kumar turned to coaching while becoming a police officer in Haryana. Nikhat Zareen Nikhat Zareen is an Indian rising star in female boxing. In 2011 she won the Junior World Championship, setting the stage for her arrival in the Senior category. In 2022, Zareen won a gold medal in IBA Women's World Championships. She turned heads with aggressive attacks in the ring, dominating and going for her opponent from the opening bell. Nikhat Zareen's conflict with Mary Kom over the Olympic selection for the Tokyo 2020 Games became one of the worst controversies in Indian boxing. Zareen was on a winning streak and demanded that boxers be sent to the Olympics based on their performances instead of giving them a free pass, a direct entry. It sparked many debates in India, with many taking Zareen's side who stood her ground throughout the process. In the end, Nikhat Zareen did not participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, she managed to find motivation from the controversy of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics. In her Olympic debut, she won her opening bout but was eliminated in the Round of 16. Before going to Paris, Zareen won gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships, becoming a two time world champion. It was perfect proof that she deserved her spot in Tokyo and was unfairly left behind. The Future of Indian Boxing Today, the future of Indian boxing is at a crossroads. Investing in sports facilities goes a long way, and now the state has to focus on going to every corner of the country in search for the young talents. As far as the future, it seems like we'll see Indians becoming a global force in boxing, standing on the podiums of many international championships.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The World's Youngest Billionaires 2025: 21 Under 30
Building a fortune usually takes years—even a lifetime. The numbers speak for themselves: Nearly three-quarters of the world's billionaires are between the ages of 50 and 79. Just 12% are under 50. The rarest of all are those who manage to achieve billionaire status by the age of 30; this year there are just 21 of those flush youngsters on the Forbes list. Unsurprisingly, all but two of them inherited their wealth. That goes for the world's youngest billionaire, Johannes von Baumbach (age 19), heir to Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim, the world's largest privately-owned pharmaceutical company. He and three siblings—ages 23, 25 and 27—are each worth an estimated $5.4 billion thanks to a stake in the drugmaker. The vast majority of the billionaire youths—15 of them—are from Europe. Germany has the most on the continent, with the four von Baumbachs as well as the heirs Sophie Luise Fielmann (age 30; eyeglasses), Kevin David Lehmann (22; drugstores) and Maxim Tebar (23; chainsaws). After that comes Italy, where three Del Vecchio brothers inherited part of the eyeglasses empire EssilorLuxottica. Their fortunes are all up 40%, to $6.6 billion, this year thanks to the company's soaring stock price after strong earnings growth in 2024. Outside Europe, there are two sibling pairs in South Korea and Brazil who respectively inherited fortunes in online gaming and industrial machinery. Then there are the only two self-made billionaires on the list. One is Australia's Ed Craven (29), who cofounded thought to be the world's biggest crypto-backed online casino, with $4.7 billion in revenue last year. The other is the United States' Alexandr Wang (28), who cofounded the AI data annotation unicorn Scale AI and who recently became a billionaire for the second time. Back in 2021, a $7.3 billion valuation of the company gave Wang his first go at a three-comma fortune, but he dropped off the Forbes list in 2023 amid a swath of plummeting private tech valuations. Now, thanks to a May funding round that valued Scale AI at $13.8 billion, the company—and Wang—are back. Sophie and her older brother Marc inherited much of their late father Günther Fielmann's fortune when he died last year. Fielmann founded Fielmann AG in 1972 with the goal of bringing affordable eyeglasses to Germany. Marc co-led the company with his dad starting in 2018 and fully took over the following year. Sophie owns a third of its stock but has no role at the firm. Andresen's fortune originally stems from the 150-year-old cigarette empire her father sold in 2005. After the sale, the family refocused on its investment firm Ferd, which has portfolios in real estate, finance and a variety of private Nordic companies. Like her sister (below), she owns a 42% stake in Ferd and sits on the board. She's also a strong supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and is an advisor for Oslo Pride. Craven and Bijan Tehrani cofounded the online casino which managed to generate $4.7 billion last year even though crypto gambling is generally unavailable in the UK, U.S. and parts of Europe. Stake's popularity has blown up since the pandemic thanks in part to livestreamers filming themselves gambling on it. Now the company says it's involved in some 2% to 4% of all Bitcoin transactions. After his father's death in 2022, Del Vecchio—and each of his six half-siblings and his mother—inherited a 12.5% stake in the family holding company that owns nearly a third of EssilorLuxottica, the world's largest eyeglasses business. Del Vecchio is EssilorLuxottica's chief strategy officer as well as the president of the iconic brand Ray-Ban. Andresen sits with her sister (above) on the board of the investment company Ferd, which is based in the Oslo suburb of Bærum, and also owns a 42% stake. She is a three-time junior Norwegian champion in dressage horse riding but no longer competes due to spinal health problems. She's still heavily involved with horses and both owns and runs the Oslo horse-breeding stable Andresen Dressage. He and his brother (below) inherited 4.6% stakes in the $165 billion (revenue) Mumbai-based multinational conglomerate Tata Sons after their father died in a car accident in 2022. The group, which owns 30 companies spanning everything from cars to jewelry, was founded in 1868 and currently has a presence across six continents and over 100 countries. Wang is the world's youngest self-made billionaire thanks to his artificial intelligence unicorn Scale AI, which raised $1 billion at a $13.8 billion valuation in May. Forbes estimates that he has a 14% stake in the company, which labels the data used to train the AI for large language models (including ChatGPT) and self-driving cars. He cofounded Scale, which now counts Microsoft, General Motors and Meta among its customers, with Lucy Guo in 2016, after dropping out of MIT following his freshman year. She and her sister (below) own 3.1% of the Brazilian electrical motor producer WEG, which their late grandfather Werner Ricardo Voigt cofounded in 1961. The siblings have no roles at the company, which produces more than 21 million electric motors every year and exports them to more than 135 countries. While its heirs rank among the world's youngest billionaires, the German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim is rather ancient—it was founded in 1885, and its entrepreneurial roots stretch back even further, to 1817. The company is behind four of the 30-and-under fortunes on this list; Maximilian is the oldest among them. His siblings are below. Mistry's father's death left him and his brother (Firoz, above) with 4.6% stakes in Tata Sons. Now he and Firoz are helping to refinance the debts of the construction company Shapoorji Pallonji Group, in which they inherited 25% ownership. In March, they secured $3.3 billion in credit for the SP Group from a slate of five private funds, including Ares Management Corp and Davidson Kempner Capital Management. Katharina is the third-youngest inheritor of the German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim fortune. With three brothers, she's the only woman among its young heirs. Tebar owes his fortune to a stake in Stihl, one of the world's leading manufacturers of chainsaws and other handheld power equipment. The company was founded in 1926 by Andreas Stihl, who built the first two-person electric chainsaw. Now it's grown to have a presence in over 160 countries, though it remains entirely family-owned. Dassault's great-grandfather was a Holocaust survivor who invented a propeller used by the French Air Service in World War I, and founded the company that would go on to become the aerospace giant Dassault Aviation. Remi owns an estimated 4.1% stake in that business, which he inherited upon his father's death in 2021, as well as an estimated 2.5% stake in the software firm Dassault Systèmes. He and his brother and half-brother (below and above) are the richest of the 30-and-unders, thanks to their minority stakes in the eyeglasses behemoth EssilorLuxottica. Their family holding entity Delfin also owns stakes in a variety of other companies based in Italy and France, including the bank UniCredit and the insurer Generali. He is not operationally involved with EssilorLuxottica or Delfin. She and her sister (below) inherited approximately 9% stakes in Nexon, a South Korean-Japanese online gaming company, after the 2022 death of their father, company founder Kim Jung-ju. Nexon was a pioneer of the free-to-play gaming model and is also an industry leader of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, or MMORPGs. Franz is the second-youngest heir to the Ingelheim-based German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim. Little is known about him or his siblings (above and below). Lehmann inherited his fortune after his father quietly passed him a 50% stake in dm-drogerie markt, Germany's leading drugstore chain, in 2017, when Lehmann was only 14. His dad first invested in the brand in 1974, shortly after it was founded in 1973; it's since grown to own some 4,120 stores across Europe. Neither father nor son is involved with the company operations. Though she doesn't have a role in the company, she and her sister (above) hold approximately 9% stakes in the game developer Nexon inherited through their late father. Gamers across 190-plus countries operate Nexon's slate of over 80 live games, including hits like MapleStory, KartRider and Dungeon & Fighter. Like his siblings (above), he owes his wealth to his 12.5% ownership of the holding company Delfin, which has a stake in EssilorLuxottica, the eyeglass company behind shade offerers like Arnette, Ray-Ban and Persol. He has no role at EssilorLuxottica. He and his brother Luca (above) are the two children his late father had with the company's former head of investor relations, Sabina Grossi. Voigt is the youngest billionaire heir of WEG cofounder Werner Ricardo Voigt and owns a 3.1% stake in the company, like her sister (above). She is currently studying psychology at university. After Forbes named her the world's youngest billionaire last year, she shared on social media that she wished to avoid attention and would keep a low profile online. Johannes is the youngest heir to the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The family is notoriously publicity-shy, and it's unknown whether he or his three siblings (above) have any role at the company. The drugmaker has been led by a family member—Johannes' uncle, Hubertus von Baumbach—since 2015. Johannes skis competitively in Austria.
