Asian Games 2026 Boxing Draw: Sakshi Faces Paris Bronze Medallist Aira Villegas, Preeti Gets Pang Chol Mi Test

India’s women boxers have been handed a mixed set of draws at the Asian Games 2026, with several medal contenders facing potentially difficult routes to the podium. 

Sakshi Chaudhary will open her campaign against Paris 2024 bronze medallist Aira Villegas of the Philippines in the women’s 51kg category, while Preeti begins her 54kg campaign with a bye before a likely Round of 16 meeting with another Paris medallist, Pang Chol Mi of North Korea. Priya Ghanghas, Parveen Hooda and Lovlina Borgohain complete India’s women’s contingent in the five categories covered by the draw, with the pathways throwing up several potential high-profile matchups.

Sakshi Chaudhary has been handed one of the more challenging opening-round assignments in the women’s 51kg draw. The Indian will take on the Philippines’ Aira Villegas, who won a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The winner will advance into a section that also contains reigning world champion Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan. Balkibekova is positioned on Sakshi’s projected route deeper into the competition, making the 51kg bracket particularly demanding.

At the other end of the draw is Olympic champion Wu Yu of China, meaning India’s 51kg campaign could potentially involve several of the division’s established international names.

The bracket therefore gives Sakshi little room for error from the opening bout, with the Villegas contest immediately presenting a major test.

Preeti gets a bye before the potential Pang Chol Mi clash

In the women’s 54kg category, Preeti has avoided an opening-round bout and will begin her campaign in the Round of 16. Her projected opponent at that stage is Paris 2024 bronze medallist Pang Chol Mi of North Korea. Pang is an experienced international boxer and a former Olympic medallist, making the potential contest an important early hurdle for the Indian. The same half of the draw also includes Kazakhstan’s Kyzaibay, another Paris 2024 bronze medallist in the flyweight category. That gives the section considerable depth and leaves several high-profile possibilities as the tournament progresses.

For Preeti, the bye provides additional preparation time, but her first contest could immediately come against an opponent with major Olympic experience.

Priya Ghanghas features in the women’s 60kg bracket and has avoided a particularly congested quarter of the draw containing China’s Yang Chengyu, the Philippines’ Nesthy Petecio and Thailand’s Punarawee Ruenros. Petecio is one of the most recognisable names in the division and won an Olympic silver medal at Tokyo 2020. Yang and Ruenros also occupy prominent positions in the same section of the bracket.

Priya's route instead opens up the possibility of meeting one of those boxers later in the competition, potentially in the semifinals if both sides progress through their respective sections. The Indian’s opening-round opponent is South Korea’s Oh Yeon-ji, according to the published draw.

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Parveen Hooda is drawn in the women’s 65kg category and begins against Tajikistan’s Hozimova. If Parveen progresses, the quarterfinal stage could bring a major challenge in the form of Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova, the 2025 World Championships silver medallist. Khamidova is positioned in Parveen’s projected quarterfinal pathway, meaning the Indian will have to negotiate an experienced international opponent before potentially reaching the medal rounds.

The 65kg bracket also features several Asian boxing nations, making Parveen’s section one where progression through the early rounds could be crucial.

Lovlina Borgohain faces Seong Suyeon

Lovlina Borgohain begins her women’s 75kg campaign against South Korea’s Seong Suyeon. The Indian, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medallist and a Paris 2024 Olympian, is on the opposite side of the bracket from Kazakhstan’s Bogdanova and Uzbekistan’s Aziza Zokirova, two potential semifinal opponents. Zokirova represents a particularly familiar challenge for Lovlina. The Indian has already suffered a defeat against the Uzbek boxer this year, adding context to a possible rematch at the Asian Games.

The other side of the bracket includes Kazakhstan’s Bogdanova and Uzbekistan’s Zokirova, setting up the possibility of a highly competitive semifinal section. With Olympic medallists, world medallists and established Asian contenders spread across the brackets, India’s women boxers face varied routes through the competition. The draws have created several potential marquee contests, but the eventual matchups will depend on results in each preceding round.

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