Minakshi Hooda, hailing from Rurki in Rohtak, Haryana, is now the women’s 48 kg world champion after her stunning triumph at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool. At just 24, she defeated multiple-time world champion Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan by a 4-1 split decision in the final.

Her rise started under modest circumstances: her father, Srikrishan Hooda, drove an auto-rickshaw and worried about the cost of training and diets. She joined coach Vijay Hooda’s local boxing academy at age 12, where she got equipment, support, and a chance to nurture her raw talent. Early on, she won in sub-junior, Youth Nationals, and Khelo India games. She claimed senior national titles in 2023 and 2024, and earlier this year beat Nitu Ghanghas in the 48 kg class.

Minakshi’s weight-division is non-Olympic, so she may boxing up to 51 kg to contend in the 2028 Olympics. Her gold cements India’s dominance in the lighter classes and sends a powerful message: grit, family support and resilience still matter just as much as talent.