Unscripted Adventures

Vanshika Kotha

India has been home to many remarkable women boxers, including Mary Kom, Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain, and Pooja Rani, all of whom have carried the country’s flag to podiums around the world. They are honored for their outstanding talents, remarkable grit, and tenacity, as well as their physical build, which helps them in the boxing ring. In the course of history, Indian women boxers have created special moments of winning Olympic medals and world titles as well, such as ¹Sarita Devi, who won gold at the Women’s World Boxing Championships. Overall, their success has come from many factors, including height, government aid, work ethic, and mental integrity, which have influenced India’s boxing success. To understand this, it is important to see how height scientifically impacts boxing performance.

The Science of Height in Boxing

²Of the four Indian women who won medals at the Boxing World Championships, three benefited from one huge advantage – height. Height plays a huge role in boxing, and taller boxers tend to perform better than shorter boxers, with a few exceptions, such as Mark Kom. Tall boxers have a longer reach, which gives them the ability to keep opponents at bay and land simple punches, especially if they are quick, straight jabs without allowing the opponent to connect, and they can also see more of what is taking place. Being tall also brings the ³intimidation factor, which can make an opponent lose confidence and be apprehensive in the ring. This advantage becomes more noticeable when considering how boxers are grouped into height-to-weight categories.

Perfect Match of Height and Weight

Naturally, Indian women boxers compete in divisions such as featherweight, flyweight, and welterweight, where their height-to-weight ratio provides a significant benefit. A taller boxer often moves down a weight class and appears slim, but is strong and has a long reach. Tall boxers can throw punches from a distance, which allows them to retain more energy. Examples would be ⁴Lovlina Borgohain (5’9″) and Pooja Rani (5’9″) from the welterweight category, who often out-reach their opponents. Shorter boxers in these same divisions will have to naturally rely on speed, agility, and aggressive footwork to win and lose much more energy getting into a striking position. Height and weight determine the overall reach, power, and movement efficiency for any given boxer. A taller boxer competing in a lighter class can benefit from having greater reach and endurance, hitting opponents from greater range, and moving effectively. When competing in a higher-weight class, additional mass will equal more punching power and more resistance, but may also lead to more perceived weight and less movement. Therefore, it is most effective for a boxer to reach maximum capacity in any division to control weight, either trying to cut down to take advantage of reach or to build up to gain punching power. Yet, despite the natural edge that height provides, the boxers are not made by stature alone.

Other Contributing Factors

Regardless, the advantage of height can only go so far; there are a multitude of other equally important attributes female boxers must attain or be gifted with to reach profound success. The real ingredients for success can be found in hard work, mental toughness, and great support systems. In boxing, mental toughness is a boxer’s ability to remain focused and strong in the face of extreme physical fatigue. Those with mental toughness can ⁵control themselves under competing pressures while maintaining belief in their own abilities. In addition to mental toughness, training is another major factor. A good trainer, or well-equipped amateur academy, supplements the boxer. ⁸Mary Kom, standing at only 5’2, is an example of this. Instead of height, she uses speed and agility, leading her to be the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing Championship six times. 

Mental Toughness

Mental toughness is the ability to be able to cope with stress, endurance, self-efficacy, sometimes risk-taking, or challenging norms.. Most Indian women boxers are from North India, in states like Haryana and Assam, where cultural traditions and financial situations usually prevent women from doing what they want, unlike in the South, where ⁹women are freer. Women from Northern India face more discrimination and gendered expectations, such as taking care of the household, getting married, customs about behaviour, and more. Since these women face such problems, they start to naturally develop coping strategies, and they build faith within themselves to escape. These issues can fuel an Indian woman’s desire to push herself to greatness. Lovlina Borgohain started from a low economic background, until the Sports Authority of India (SAI) gave her an opportunity to join the program. Borgohain mentioned in a ¹⁰2024 interview that parents from India are hesitant to let their children pursue sports and have an actual career in it. 

Government Programs Elevate Women’s Boxing

In addition to the good coach and good training academy, programs designated by the Government of India such as the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) or the ⁶Khelo India Programme, further enhances that good practice via, individualized training, financial assistance and support staff such as psychologists and physiotherapists, making sure boxers also have the advantage of being advised and supported by trained medical professionals such as psychologists and psychotherapists, providing a notable and effective asset to Indian boxers, allowing them to compete with global talent. The Khelo India Programme coordinates leagues, university games, and ⁷talent hunts for women boxers at all levels – junior, youth, and elite. Recent events, such as the Khelo India REC Open Talent Hunt, have seen hundreds of women participating in events across age groups, helping to develop a strong pipeline of women boxers.

In conclusion, there is no denying that height has greatly contributed to giving Indian women boxers an advantage in world competition, more particularly in weight classes where reach and control are most important. But their accomplishments are due to much more than height; they are a result of years of commitment, government support, and mental resilience. Combining all of these has not only produced Olympic and world medals for India but has also inspired another generation of athletes into the ring. All this, as India prepares to make a big statement of how the country’s sporting stature is expanding on the world stage.