Sakshi Chaudhary - who replaced Nikhat Zareen in the 51kg category - Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboriya and Lovlina Borgohain are all capable of being in the mix for multi-sport event medals. (AP Photo)A single boxer was yet to step into the ring on Saturday when India had already broken Commonwealth Games boxing records. Ten assured medals before a punch was thrown on the final day of the boxing programme in Glasgow. Weakened field or not, it’s a rare feat in Indian boxing, especially considering the administrative mess that the sport finds itself in the country.The seven gold medals and three silver won by the pugilists makes India the top boxing contingent at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and sets up the Ahmedabad edition four years hence rather well.With traditional strong suits like shooting, wrestling and badminton absent from the diluted Commonwealth Games, boxing was the only discipline where Indian muscles could be flexed. After finishing second in the medal tally at Gold Coast 2018 (3 x Gold, 3 x Silver, 3 x Bronze) and Birmingham 2022 (3 x Gold, 1 x Silver, 3 x Bronze), anything under eight medals would have been considered a regression. But India’s team, especially the women boxers, have steadily ascended towards the top at the world level over the last year, and continued that same run without many of the heavy hitters from England and Australia.Sakshi Chaudhary – who replaced Nikhat Zareen in the 51kg category – Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboriya and Lovlina Borgohain are all capable of being in the mix for multi-sport event medals. They form the backbone of a strong all-weather women’s team that can go toe-to-toe against some of the best boxing countries in the world. Priya Ghanghas added a gold to the tally as well and concluded a successful campaign for the Indian women.In the men’s category, Sachin Siwach and Ankush both were declared victorious on the judges scorecard.On Saturday, barring Lovlina and Jadumani Singh, every Indian boxer tasted success in their title bout. Lovlina came up against current Worlds bronze medallist Emma Sue Greentree of Australia and suffered a 1-4 loss in a contest that went down to the wire before the Assamese boxer’s in-bout fatigue management – a familiar issue that has been plaguing her since moving up weight categories after her Tokyo Olympic bronze medal – decided the fight in her opponent’s favour.Jaismine is the reigning world champion in the 57kg class. But at 25, she is still learning how to use her considerable gifts in her category. On Saturday, she was provided yet another test of her range – this time against Michaela Walsh, a boxer who has medals from the 2014, 2018, 2022 and now the 2026 Commonwealth Games.Story continues below this adWalsh is the typical of boxers that Jaismine struggles against – shorter but skillful in short bursts when moving inside. But the world champion has continued her growth and showcased it in the win. Out of all Indian women’s gold medals on Saturday, Jaismine went through the toughest bout and came out on the other side with a gold to add to her already burgeoning medal cabinet. Later Olympic Gold Quest CEO Viren Rasquinha said that the Indian had got little time to practice ahead of the CWG.“40 days ago, Jaismine was in hospital for continuous high fever and stomach issues. She had only three weeks of training post recovery. Today, she wins GOLD at CWG after beating the reigning Champion from NIR,” he tweeted.Perhaps the best Indian boxer at the event was the one with the easiest bouts on her hand. The 54kg category in India itself is a minefield with multiple boxers vying for the spot. Competition has been fierce for years. But at the Commonwealth Games, Preeti’s run to the gold medal was as smooth as it could get. There is an argument to be made that the CWG gold was easier than some of the national competitions that she has competed in. The southpaw easily landed the best shots among all Indians. The most eye-catching among them was a blow from the right, masked as an uppercut but landing as a cross, used on multiple occasions.