Lure of the pro ring in Indian boxing

There is a growing trend of elite Indian boxers making a transition from amateur to professional circuit. TOI looks at the reasons behind this
NEW DELHI: A story which first unfolded three decades ago, is getting written again in Indian boxing.
The year 1995 witnessed an exodus of several distinguished boxers - Dharmender Yadav, V Devarajan, Rajkumar Sangwan and Gurcharan Singh - from the nation's amateur boxing circuit to the professional ring.
Fast forward to 2025, and India's medal winners in Asian Games, World Championships and CWG, boxers Nishant Dev and Amit Panghal, have followed in the footsteps of their predecessors to join the cash-rich world of professional boxing.

Nishant has signed with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing and will be making his professional debut at 'The Cosmopolitan' in Las Vegas soon. Panghal has teamed up with US-based talent management company Critical Sports and Entertainment. He hasn't been allocated a fight yet.
They aren't the only ones who have quit the amateur circuit. TOI has learnt that some women boxers, including Pooja Rani, Simranjit Kaur, Manju Rani and Nitu Ghanghas, have been contemplating transition to either pro boxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Wrestler Ritu Phogat - a three-time national champion and a gold medallist at the 2016 Commonwealth wrestling - made a successful transition to MMA's 'ONE Championship' after startling the sporting fraternity with her abrupt retirement before the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020.
Many would not be surprised by Panghal's decision to turn pro given his advancing age - he will be 30 in Oct this year. But Nishant's decision to quit amateur circuit at the age of 24 came as a big surprise to many ardent followers of amateur boxing. The pugilist from Haryana's Karnal district had emerged as one of India's most promising boxers in the light middleweight (71kg) category.

His father Pawan Dev explained his son's decision: "He didn't see his future in the amateur circuit. The money that comes in the professional world was tempting. He wants to become India's first-ever world professional boxing champion."
Reasons behind turning pro
Each boxer has own reasons - advancing age, the uncertainty over boxing's future at the Olympic Games, limited opportunities in the national set-up, financial security and greater fame in the pro world.
Additionally, for some, the Boxing Federation of India's (BFI) internal politics, insufficient support from the federation, constant chopping and changing of foreign and Indian coaches, unconventional coaching methodology of foreign experts, no precise training and competition blueprint ahead of important events such as Olympics and Asian Games, dearth of quality sparring partners at the national camps and insistence on training in foreign locations which leads to dietary and acclimatisation constraints, have impacted their decisions.