By Paritosh Pramanik
March 8, 2026
WITH eight international, 14 national and several state level medals including gold, silver and bronze, city’s Alfiya Tarannum Khan Pathan is not a novice to boxing.
The southpaw pugilist, who is Elite Asian boxing champion (2022, Jordan) and youth world boxing champion (Elorda Cup, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan), is leaving no stone unturned for the forthcoming Asian Boxing Championship scheduled to be held in Mongolia from March 28 to April 11.
Alfiya has been named in the 20-member Indian squad which also has Nikhat Zarin and Lovlina Borgohain by the Indian Boxing Federation.
Alfiya will be participating in the 80+ weight category and the 23-year-old is training hard in the India camp at Patiala.
On the eve of Women’s Day Alfiya talked with ‘The Hitavada’ about her preparations for the Asian meet.
“The training camp is intense and focused, and we are working hard every day on fitness, technique, and sparring. The goal is to be in the best possible shape before the championship,” Alfiya said on Saturday.
The Indian team will leave for Mongolia in next few days to get acclimatise with the
conditions.
“First of all I would like to wish everybody on International Women’s Day.
“To all women, I would like to say ‘Believe in yourself and never limit your dreams. With hard work and determination, women can achieve success in every field, including sports,’” was the message from Alfiya, the Astana (Kazakhstan) Youth silver medallist.
Alfiya said there is scope of improvement every time and it is a continuous process.
But for this Asian meet she is concentrating hard on speed and endurance.
“This time the focus has been on speed, endurance, and tactical improvement. We worked a lot on footwork, defence, and ring strategy so that we can perform confidently against strong opponents,” she said confidently.
The expectations were high from Alfiya after she graduated to the senior team from the junior circuit where she made her mark with medal winning performances.
“The Asian Boxing Championships (in Mongolia) is extremely important for me. Asia has some of the best boxing nations, so performing well here means proving yourself at a very high level. It is also a great opportunity to gain experience and bring pride to the country,” Alfiya mentioned.
“I am expecting very tough competition. Asian boxers are technically strong and very disciplined, so every bout will be challenging and will require full focus,” she added.
With a tough field in her weight category, Alfiya is not taking any opponent lightly and is concentrating on her own game.
“At this level, every opponent is strong, so I am not focusing on a particular rival. I am concentrating on my own preparation and strategy for each bout,” said the Central Railways Nagpur TTE.
In the pious month of Ramadan, Alfiya is also observing fast whenever possible.
“During Ramadan, I am trying to observe fast as much as possible. “It is a spiritual month for us, and balancing faith with sports discipline is important. Fasting does make training more challenging, but with proper planning, hydration after Iftar, and guidance from coaches, I am managing it well. It also builds mental strength and discipline,” she explained.
Apart from regular training/sparring, the current Khelo India gold medallist for Maharashtra Alfiya is focusing on strength conditioning and breathing to maintain mental strength.
“I am focusing on strength conditioning, stretching and sometimes meditation and breathing exercises to maintain mental focus and recovery,” she signed off.
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