Saweety Boora: The Indian Boxing Champion Making History

From Rural Roots to International Recognition, Saweety Boora’s Journey to Becoming a World Champion

Saweety Boora, also known by her mononym Saweety, is an accomplished Indian boxer who competes in the middleweight weight class. She has won numerous medals in various international boxing tournaments, including a gold medal at the 2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships and a silver medal at the 2014 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in the light heavyweight category. Saweety’s sister, Siwi Boora, is also an Indian boxer.

Early Life and Personal Life Saweety Boora was born on January 10, 1993, in rural Hisar, Haryana. Her father, Mahender Singh, is a farmer who used to play basketball at the national level. Saweety was previously a state-level kabaddi player before switching to boxing in 2009 at her father’s urging. Initially, she trained in the farmlands near Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University but had to relocate out of Haryana to pursue her boxing career. Saweety got married to Deepak Niwas Hooda on July 7, 2022.

Career In the 2014 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships held in Jeju City, Saweety won a silver medal in the light heavyweight (81 kg) category, losing in the final to China’s Yang Xiaoli. At the 2015 Asian Women’s Amateur Boxing Championships held in Wulanchabu, Saweety was the only Indian to reach the finals and won the silver medal, again losing to the same Chinese opponent.

Saweety was awarded the Government of Haryana’s Bhim Award in 2017 for her outstanding sporting achievements during the 2015–16 season. In 2018, she changed her weight class from light heavyweight (81 kg) to middleweight (75 kg) as the former is not part of the Summer Olympics. At the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, Saweety was eliminated in the pre-quarterfinal round.

2023 IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships On March 25, 2023, Saweety became the seventh Indian boxer (male or female) to become a World Champion, winning the gold medal in the light heavyweight category by defeating China’s Wang Lina by 4-3.