World Champion Minakshi Hooda set to move upto 50 kg segment in Olympics and Asian Games

On September 14, boxer Minakshi Hooda scripted history after beating Kazakhstan's Nazym Kyzaibay at the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool and pulling off the gold. She tasted success in the 48-kg

category and following the majestic success, she is looking to develop her game as the young boxer. Hooda is now pondering to shift to the 50-kg segment with the objective to win gold in Olympics 2028 and Asian Games to be held next year. Recently, Hooda spoke to The Times of India and revealed how she prepared herself to vie against Kyzaibay at the World Boxing Championships.

In the interview with the renowned media house, Hooda expressed her aspiration to represent India in Olympics and Asian Games. "Olympicsand Asian Games are big goals for me. For that, I’ll definitely have to fight in the 50kg category. But I don’t want to completely leave 48kg just yet. 48kg was included in the Commonwealth Games earlier, If you recall, Mary Kom didi used to compete in that category. Even Nitu (Ghanghas) won world-level medals in the 48kg category. If it comes back (at the Olympic level), I’d love that, but right now, we just have to go up to the 50kg division,” said Hooda.

Minakshi Hood adopted the ferocious approach against Kazakhstan's Nazym Kyzaibay

Minakshi said that she adopted the fierce approach to win the contests against her Kazakh counterpart, noting the latter’s experience. “That mindset helped me stay fearless. The first two rounds were close, but I managed to pull ahead in the third round. The change was in my mindset. I knew my opponent was a very experienced counter-puncher, but I upped my aggression level and fought the final round on my terms. That helped me win,” said Minakshi to The Times of India.

The 2026 Asian Games will be held in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Besides Hooda, Pooja Rani is also a strong contender for the continental event to be held next year.