New ‘Senapati’ for Indian ‘Punchalis’: Santiago Nieva appointed head coach for Indian women’s boxing

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has appointed Santiago Nieva as the head coach of the Indian Women’s National Boxing Team, marking the return of one of world boxing’s most accomplished high-performance leaders.

The Swedish tactician, who previously served as India’s High Performance Director from 2017 to 2021, steps back into the system at a moment of unprecedented momentum for Indian women’s boxing — with the mandate to elevate the team further as the nation enters a crucial new Olympic cycle.

The national women’s team has produced a series of landmark results in recent months, most notably a complete medal sweep at the World Boxing Cup finals 2025 in Greater Noida, finishing with seven gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, with several podiums coming in key Olympic weight categories.

With the Los Angeles 2028 cycle intensifying and Olympic parity across seven women’s divisions, Nieva will work on establishing Indian women as consistent global medal contenders across all weight categories.

Nieva’s appointment marks a strategic boost to India’s long-term Olympic preparation, reinforcing the federation’s commitment to high-performance systems, scientific training, and world-class coaching standards.

Speaking on the occasion, Nieva said, “I am super excited to come back to India. I had five wonderful years here in my previous stint. I am very much looking forward to this next chapter, and hopefully, we can create something big together. I have had great success working with women boxers in the past. There is a huge potential within the Indian women’s team, and in LA (Olympics 2028), we’ll be aiming for something big and create history.”

Nieva brings over two decades of elite international coaching experience, having held some of the most influential high-performance roles in world boxing.

Following his earlier stint with India, he most recently served as National Head Coach and Technical Lead of Boxing Australia’s High Performance Unit.

Before that, he spent several years shaping Sweden’s national program as Head Coach and Sports Director, guiding athletes across world championships, continental tournaments, Olympic qualifiers and multisport games.

On Nieva’s appointment, BFI President Ajay Singh said, “Santiago’s appointment signals an important step forward for our women’s programme. He brings a top-tier blend of technical excellence and international insight that will add tremendous value to the system. Our athletes have shown they can rise to the world’s toughest platforms, and with Santiago guiding their progression, we are confident of strengthening India’s presence and ambition at the world’s biggest stages.”

Nieva’s previous tenure with India left a lasting imprint on the country’s high-performance structure.

Under his guidance, Indian boxing earned two podium finishes at the 2019 Men’s World Championships — Amit Panghal’s historic silver and Manish Kaushik’s bronze — before the nation fielded its largest-ever Olympic boxing squad at Tokyo 2020, where Lovlina Borgohain secured a breakthrough bronze.