Hitesh Gulia is the new kid on the boxing block.
The 21-year-old boxer from Jhajjar, Haryana, has shown great form this season to win two medals at the Boxing World Cups -- a new set of top-tier tournaments launched by World Boxing. Hitesh, featuring in the 70kg division, won the gold in Brazil in April followed by a silver in Kazakhstan in July. Last year, he won the national championships and later won gold at the National Games too. With the kind of results he has got at both national and international level, it's safe to say he's one of the favourites for a medal at the upcoming World Championships, which will start in September at Liverpool, England.
It's outstanding and also a bit surprising how Hitesh has risen in a span of 12 to 18 months. He has gone from a teenager who was fighting to get into national camps to now being a favourite for a medal at the World Championships. But according to Hitesh, nothing was instantaneous. His current form and boxing pedigree has been years in the making, mostly the result of the hard work he and his father put in during the COVID years.
Back on the podium. ��
After striking gold in Brazil, Hitesh Gulia returns with silver in the men's 70kg at the World Boxing Cup - Astana. ��
One more step in a standout season.#WorldBoxingCup #PunchMeinHaiDum #BFI pic.twitter.com/ePB3yb4Etm
- Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) July 6, 2025
"Before COVID, my game wasn't that special. During COVID time, I was at home, but my father (Satya Prakash) ensured I didn't skip training even one day. My father trained me every day, he used to watch YouTube and picked up training details. He never allowed me to stop training. Ussi cheez ka benefit hai mereko (The continuous training has benefitted me now). I did it consistently, every single day, be it physical fitness or technical like footwork movement," Hitesh tells ESPN India when asked about his recent rise.
It wasn't like his father was a former boxer who pushed his kid towards the same sport. Satya Prakash was very far away from boxing. He was a taxi driver who used to play football when he was young. Later, his knees gave up and he had difficulty in driving cars for a long time. Despite not knowing anything about boxing, Hitesh's father ensured he learned as much as he can for the sake of his son.
While the father's boxing journey started via his son, Hitesh came to the ring because he was overweight. Back in 2014, his parents wanted him to improve his fitness and keep him away from picking fights with fellow kids in school. "I was in class four and was weighing 55kg," says Hitesh. He started doing basic stuff under Hitesh Deshwal, who was his first coach who saw potential in him. "When I started winning bouts, that's when I started enjoying boxing. Three years later, I won my first gold medal in a state-level competition."
The more he won, the more Hitesh and his parents started seeing a future in the sport. That's when his father got the assurance that his son can make it work in boxing. After the lockdown years, when Hitesh's father played an important role, the next turning point came in 2022 when Hitesh joined the Indian Navy. It was his meeting with Indian boxing legend Suranjoy Singh that pushed towards joining the Navy, which not only benefited his training but also gave him financial security. "I was training at SAI Bhiwani centre, Suranjoy sir came there with an Indian Navy team for a camp. I trained with them. He saw me and asked me if I am interested in joining the Navy. I needed the job at that time and my family also needed it," says Hitesh, who counts Suranjoy, Akhil Kumar and Vijender Singh as his inspirations.
As a boxer, Hitesh doesn't have one specific style. His main philosophy in the ring is to read the opponent. He fights with an open stance with quick counter-punching abilities. It suits Hitesh when his opponent is more aggressive because his punching accuracy is solid when he fights while backpedaling. The counter-punching has shades of his idol Vijender and the open guard is similar to his other inspiration Akhil Kumar.
Hitesh is now training under national team chief coach Dharmendra Singh Yadav where he tasted international success. Apart from crediting Yadav, Hitesh takes the name of John Warburton who was his coach at JSW's Inspire Institute of Sport. "I improved a lot under him. Thanks to him, I won national championships gold medal with Services and also at the National Games. He took a lot of effort for me."
Hitesh and the Indian team will go to Sheffield for a 10-day camp in August before landing in Liverpool for the World Championships. Hitesh says there's no point of going into such a big tournament without the mindset of winning the gold. He can earn his big medal in September and he's hoping that it's the start of many.