Indian boxer Parveen Hooda stormed into the women’s 65kg boxing final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 after defeating China’s Li Shu by unanimous 5-0 decision on Tuesday.
Hooda had a controlled performance in the semifinal and consistently landed cleaner punches against her Chinese opponent. The win got her one step closer to the gold medal and guaranteed her place in the final.
Parveen Hooda dominates Li Shu in 65kg semifinal.
Hooda had a gold medal match for which to win, and she kept the fight together throughout. Rather than getting into a long exchange, she waited and scored with her movement and punching accuracy.
Hooda consistently landed more effectively than Li and maintained control, according to ESPN. Li tried to recover and make a bid back into the fight, but Hooda was able to hold her advantage and win by unanimous decision.
The official Asian Games schedule had listed the semifinal as the women’s 65kg Bout 150 at Nishio Gymnasium on 29 September.
The 5-0 win means Hooda will compete for the Asian Games gold medal in the women’s 65kg category.
ONE STEP FROM GOLD! 🥊🇮🇳🔥
— Anil Bansal (@dilseanilbansal) September 29, 2026
Parveen Hooda is into the Asian Games 65kg FINAL!
A commanding 5–0 unanimous decision over China’s Li Shu sends the Haryana boxer into the gold medal bout.
Now comes the biggest fight.
Waiting in the final: Paris Olympic bronze medallist… pic.twitter.com/qhUXwRTy6C
A Great Run for Asian Games.
Hooda already had herself a medal after winning another 5-0 unanimous victory against Uzbekistan’s Navbakhor Khamidova in the quarterfinals on September 27.
Khamidova came into this match as the 2025 World Championships silver medallist, but Hooda used her reach, speed and counter-punching well to keep the Uzbek boxer at a distance. She won on all five judges’ scorecards.
Her route to the quarterfinals was less urgent on paper. Hooda got a walkover against Tajikistan’s Malika Nozimova in the round of 16, which sent her straight through to the last-eight stage.
The semifinal win over Li Shu has now extended her unbeaten run at the tournament and put her within one fight of the Asian Games title.
From 57kg To A New Asian Games Final
The final represents an important stage in Hooda’s return to the Asian Games podium.
She had won a bronze medal at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou in the 57kg category. However, the medal was later taken away when the International Testing Agency suspended her for 22 months for whereabouts failures. Hooda returned to competition late last year and then moved up to the 65kg weight category.
Her transition to the new weight class has yielded good results. Hooda was one of India’s experienced options in the 65kg category, having previously competed at 57kg in the Asian Games.
Her quarterfinal win had already secured another Asian Games medal, while the semifinal victory has now taken her into the gold medal bout.
Parveen Hooda To Fight For Gold
Hooda will face Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-chin in the women’s 65kg final. Chen is an international boxer and has won more than a few medals at the Olympics, World Championships and Asian Games.
The final will be Hooda’s chance to turn her strong performance into an Asian Games gold medal if she manages to get through three stages of the competition successfully.
Her success is also part of a strong showing by India’s boxing contingent at Aichi-Nagoya. A number of Indian boxers have already made it to the medal stages, with Parveen Hooda, Ankush Panghal and Narender Berwal among those who had already secured medals after the quarterfinals.
Hooda's 5-0 victory over Li Shu has now brought India another gold medal opportunity in boxing. The Indian boxer will return to the ring for the women's 65kg final, and the Asian Games title is now within reach.
