Nieva also stated that the biggest lesson from the Asian Games is that anything is possible
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Asian Games 2026 gold medallists boxers Lovlina Borgohain, Ankush Panghal and Parveen Hooda pose for photos upon their arrival from Japan at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Sunday, October 04, 2026(Photo: IANS/Video Grab)
Indian boxers finished the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on a high as the contingent won six medals – three gold and bronze eachThe result was India’s best gold-medal performance in boxing at the Asian Games and saw the country finish on top of the boxing medal table ahead of strong teams such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China.
Indian women’s boxing played a major role in that successLovlina Borgohain won gold in the 75kg category, while Parveen Hooda claimed the 65kg titlePriya Ghanghas added a bronze in the 60kg categoryIn the men’s section, Ankush Panghal won gold in the 80kg category, while Narender Berwal and Kapil Pokhariya took bronze in the +90kg and 90kg categories respectively.
For women’s head coach Santiago Nieva, the results showed that Indian boxing is moving in the right direction.
“For me, the main thing is to control the bout for nine minutes, not only two good rounds and then lose our shapeThat’s what we aim to teach themThe biggest lesson is that we see that anything is possibleIndia ending up number one shows we are on the right track,” Santiago Nieva told the Indian Express.
Nieva said the team had produced wins against some of Asia’s strongest boxing nations and felt the overall performance was a major step forwardIndia had also enjoyed a strong Commonwealth Games campaign before arriving in Japan, making the Asian Games results another positive sign.
“Obviously, we are super happyWe always want more, and we won two gold medalsBeforehand, there were very, very tough fightsWe would end the year as the Asian Championship winner, and the number one in the CWG and Asian GamesWe have scored wins over stronger countries in Asia, like China, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan,” Santiago Nieva added.
One of the biggest lessons for Nieva was the need for boxers to remain in control throughout the full boutHe said the focus was not just on putting together two good rounds, but on maintaining the same level for all nine minutes.
He also wants Indian boxers to become more comfortable against different stylesAccording to Nieva, they need to know when to increase the pace, when to slow the fight down and how to change their approach depending on the score.
Parveen’s performance stood out for the coachShe had missed the Asian Championships and suffered an early defeat at the Commonwealth Games, but bounced back strongly in JapanNieva said the team worked on her footwork, distance and patience before the Asian Games.
Her semifinal win over Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova was particularly impressiveNieva picked it as the best bout of the campaign, saying Parveen managed the distance well and did not rush her attacksShe eventually won the fight comfortably and went on to beat Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin 3-2 in the final for gold.
Lovlina’s gold was another major momentAfter winning silver at the previous Asian Games, she finally moved to the top of the podium with a 5-0 win over China’s Bao Ziyi in the finalShe had earlier beaten Kazakhstan’s world champion Natalya Bogdanova 3-2 in the semifinal.
Nieva also spoke about the boxers who did not go deep into the tournamentPreeti and Sakshi were knocked out early, while Priya lost her semifinal, but the coach said he was not worried about themHe believes they have been consistent throughout the year and can improve from the experience.
The next big target is the 2027 World Championships, which will offer the first qualification opportunities for the 2028 Los Angeles OlympicsNieva expects a much tougher challenge but believes India has the level to fight for Olympic spots.
