New Delhi: A little over a month before the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in May this year, boxer Sakshi Chaudhary called coach Chhote Lal Yadav at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune with a potentially career-altering request.
“She wanted to cut weight,” Yadav said. “It’s a line a coach dreads because we know how excruciating it is for an athlete. And here she was, almost volunteering to go through the grind.”
Having boxed all her senior career in 54kg, moving down a category wasn’t an easy choice for Sakshi. Preeti Pawar, by virtue of winning the 2026 Asian Championships, had already booked her CWG and Asian Games berth in the 54kg division while Jaismine Lamboria occupied the 57kg class.
“With a maintenance weight of 55kgs, it would’ve been easier for me to gain weight. Once your body is used to a certain kind of training and diet, it becomes tough to trick the body. I opted to go to 51kg after a lengthy discussion with Yadav sir,” Sakshi said.
Yadav, who has coached boxing legend MC Mary Kom in the past, was ready. “I knew it was the right call. Preeti is a stronger boxer than her, and I thought Sakshi could make use of her height in the 51kg division. Jaismine is well settled in 57kg and we didn’t want to touch her,” he said.
The lowest Olympic weight class in India is stacked — there’s two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen, 48kg world champion Minkashi Hooda, and former CWG and world champion Nitu Ghanghas.
“I knew if I could beat them in trials, I’ll win the gold at CWG. They are all high-quality boxers,” said Sakshi, who eventually won the gold in Glasgow.
The genesis of that success, she agrees, lay in that sweaty, stifling boxing hall in NIS Patiala where she stunned Nikhat 4-1 in the semi-final before beating Minakshi — who had beaten Nitu in her semi-final — 5-0 in the decider.
Coach Yadav knew his ward stood a fair chance in the high-quality trial. “Nikhat hadn’t been at her best over the past few months. I think she loses a lot of her strength when she cuts weight unlike Sakshi who retains her strength. Also, she has the advantage of reach which she put to good use against Nikhat,” he said.
Former women’s team coach Bhaskar Bhatt agreed. Having seen the current bunch of women boxers during his tenure with the senior team (2021-2023), Bhatt believes Sakshi should stick to her new weight division.
“It’s the kind of competition we’ve been missing in India for a while,” Bhatt said. “Sakshi’s weight cut was very scientific because in Glasgow, she never looked out of breath. Her footwork was fast, and she had great rhythm in her punches. She moved well in the ring and never stopped punching.”
Sakshi’s month-long stint in ASI Pune was “a bit of a test case” for Yadav. He set Sakshi a target of losing 500gms each week, trained her all days of the week with six days dedicated to tactical and technical aspects, and changed her diet completely. All the primary sources of carbohydrates were off the plate, as was her favourite churma.
“Boxers from Haryana rely a lot on churma and taking that out of her diet was toughest. Her diet was built around protein sources to ensure she didn’t lose lean muscle,” Yadav informed.
The result was a leaner, meaner Sakshi who glided across the ring with ease. “Lower weights demand excellent footwork, and Sakshi was up to the task in Glasgow. There are a few areas that she needs to work on, such as boxing from close quarters. She tends to clinch, and use her elbows to push the opponent to wriggle out. All these things go against you,” Bhatt explained.
Yadav and Sakshi will have to iron out the flaws leading up to the Asian Games where sterner tests await. South Korea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and China have been the traditional powerhouses at the continental level and are likely to give the Indian contingent a tough workout.
“The competition at the Asian Games will be nowhere close to what they got in Glasgow. But if Sakshi can work on a few areas, she can go deep at the Asiad. If guided well, she can be a contender at the LA Olympics as well,” Bhatt added.
With the national camp having started on Monday, Sakshi will have just about a month to shake off the Glasgow afterglow and get her focus back. “That won’t be a problem. CWG is over, and it’s time to aim higher,” she said.
Shantanu Srivastava is an experienced sports journalist who has worked across print and digital media. He covers cricket and Olympic sports.
