From sneaking into a stadium with borrowed gloves to standing tall as a world champion, Minakshi Hooda’s story is the kind that punches you right in the heart. The daughter of an auto driver who never even owned a TV at home, she fought her way through every obstacle — poverty, doubts, and pressure — to bring home gold for India at the World Boxing Championships 2025 in Liverpool. Even actor R. Madhavan couldn’t resist hailing her grit and glory.
India’s boxing squad had plenty to celebrate in Liverpool, bagging four medals in total — two golds, a silver, and a bronze. The spotlight, however, shone brightest on Minakshi Hooda (women’s 48kg) and Jaismine Lamboria (women’s 57kg), who both struck gold and became India’s first-ever world champions under the newly formed World Boxing governing body. Minakshi sealed her crown with a stunning 4-1 win over Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Nazym Kyzaibay, while Olympian Pooja Rani picked up bronze, and Nupur Sheoran grabbed silver.
But behind Minakshi’s gold medal is a backstory that makes the victory even sweeter. Her father, Srikrishna, has been driving rented autos for more than three decades. Funds were always a battle, yet he never let his daughter’s dream fade. He sold buffalo milk to buy her apples, bananas, and ghee, anything to keep her diet strong enough for the ring. While neighbours warned him about injuries and marriage prospects, he backed her silently, even when boxing gloves had to be borrowed.
With no TV in the house, her elder brother had to watch the bout on a neighbour’s set, while her mother followed the match on a mobile phone. As her aunt put it, every child in the village knows where Minakshi lives, and on that night, they proudly led the way for visitors.
Minakshi’s love for boxing began in secret when she was just 12 or 13. She would sneak into the village stadium — built in memory of a martyred boxer — to watch others spar. What started as curiosity soon turned into a lifelong passion that carried her from a small village in Haryana to the world stage.
Madhavan's cheer for Minakshi
Madhavan took to Instagram story to share her story. Interestingly, R. Madhavan, who hailed Minakshi’s feat, knows what it takes to raise a champion. His son, Vedaant, is already a professional swimmer with five gold medals from the Malaysian Open, plus podium finishes at the Danish Open, and competitions in Latvia and Thailand. He even finished fifth at the prestigious Commonwealth Youth Games. Madhavan has often spoken about his son’s relentless discipline, recalling how Vedaant’s days end by 8 p.m. and begin again at 4 a.m.
India’s boxing squad had plenty to celebrate in Liverpool, bagging four medals in total — two golds, a silver, and a bronze. The spotlight, however, shone brightest on Minakshi Hooda (women’s 48kg) and Jaismine Lamboria (women’s 57kg), who both struck gold and became India’s first-ever world champions under the newly formed World Boxing governing body. Minakshi sealed her crown with a stunning 4-1 win over Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Nazym Kyzaibay, while Olympian Pooja Rani picked up bronze, and Nupur Sheoran grabbed silver.
But behind Minakshi’s gold medal is a backstory that makes the victory even sweeter. Her father, Srikrishna, has been driving rented autos for more than three decades. Funds were always a battle, yet he never let his daughter’s dream fade. He sold buffalo milk to buy her apples, bananas, and ghee, anything to keep her diet strong enough for the ring. While neighbours warned him about injuries and marriage prospects, he backed her silently, even when boxing gloves had to be borrowed.
With no TV in the house, her elder brother had to watch the bout on a neighbour’s set, while her mother followed the match on a mobile phone. As her aunt put it, every child in the village knows where Minakshi lives, and on that night, they proudly led the way for visitors.
Minakshi’s love for boxing began in secret when she was just 12 or 13. She would sneak into the village stadium — built in memory of a martyred boxer — to watch others spar. What started as curiosity soon turned into a lifelong passion that carried her from a small village in Haryana to the world stage.
Madhavan's cheer for Minakshi
Madhavan took to Instagram story to share her story. Interestingly, R. Madhavan, who hailed Minakshi’s feat, knows what it takes to raise a champion. His son, Vedaant, is already a professional swimmer with five gold medals from the Malaysian Open, plus podium finishes at the Danish Open, and competitions in Latvia and Thailand. He even finished fifth at the prestigious Commonwealth Youth Games. Madhavan has often spoken about his son’s relentless discipline, recalling how Vedaant’s days end by 8 p.m. and begin again at 4 a.m.
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