Services, Haryana begin strong as inaugural BFI Cup 2025 kicks off in Chennai

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 1 (ANI): The inaugural BFI Cup 2025 got underway at the Vellore Institute of Technology in Chennai on Wednesday, with Services and Haryana boxers registering early wins in the preliminaries to set the tone for the week-long tournament.
In an endeavour to provide upcoming boxers a platform to showcase their skills and established stars an opportunity to test their preparations, BFI will host the inaugural BFI Cup 2025 in Chennai from October 1-7, featuring competitions for both Elite Men and Women across 10 weight categories each, aligned with World Boxing standards. Gold and silver medallists from the event will earn a pathway into the Elite National Camp.
In the women's draw, Haryana's Mahi Siwach edged past Tamil Nadu's Deepa S 3:2 in the 48kg weight category, while Lucky Singhmar stopped Janet Philoveena J (Tamil Nadu) with an RSC in the second round of their 75kg clash. Rashi Sharma of Uttar Pradesh and Darshana of All India Police also advanced with narrow victories in their respective sections, while Shena Kumari of Jharkhand (57kg) and Railways pugilist Anjali (70kg) recorded dominant 5:0 wins.
In the men's section, Services marked their presence early as Deepak defeated Haryana's Vishesh 3:2 in the 55kg category, Hussam Uddin outclassed Chirag 5:0 in an all Services 60kg section clash, and Arman Ahlawat (75kg) overcame Punjab's Arshpreet Singh Bhati 5:0.
Haryana too opened with a strong result as Pankaj Kumar (65kg) blanked Vaibhav Dahiya of SAI 5:0. Other winners included Sanjit Singh Keisham (50kg) and Mitesh Deswal (60kg) from Railways, Ratandeep Sharma (65kg) of Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu's S Vasanth Raj (70kg), who forced an RSC in the first round against Yash Solanki of Delhi.
Boxers from State units and boards that finished in the Top 8 at the Elite Nationals are in action at the BFI Cup, joined by entries from SAI NCOE and host state Tamil Nadu. The lineup also includes participants from the last two Elite National Championships, Indian team members from the 2024 and 2025 Asian U-22 Championships, as well as medalists from international competitions since 2022.
Adding further depth to the competition are medalists from the Goa and Uttarakhand National Games and the 6th Youth Nationals. All entries are routed through official State units and boards. (ANI)