Pooja Rani Height, Weight, Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Pooja Rani

• Pooja Rani is an Indian middleweight boxer. She competes in the 75 Kg boxing category.

• She grew up in a middle-class family in Nimriwali, Bhiwani, Haryana.

• When she was in her teens, Pooja got attracted to boxing, However, she did not have the courage to pursue it as a career option.

• It took her around a year to get enrolled in the Hawa Singh Boxing Academy, Bhiwani.
  

  Pooja Rani during her practice session

• Initially, Pooja hid her boxing ambition from her father as she feared getting scoldings from him.

• In her training days, she often used to stay away from her home at night to hide her injuries from her father. In an interview, while talking about it, Pooja said,
  

  If I got injured in training, I would not return home so that no one saw the cut or the swelling. My mother would lie to my father and tell him that I’m staying over at a friend’s house to study, while I stayed over at my coach’s house, icing the injury.”

• During an interview, recalling how her father was against her decision of making boxing her career, Pooja said,
  

  My father was dead against my plans of making a career out of boxing. My father would say, “Acche Bache Boxing Nahin Khelte (good children don’t play boxing)”. Such was the situation that I feared my father would stop me from going to the boxing ring if he saw my injuries. So I would conceal my injuries from him.”

• After a while, her father came to know about her involvement in boxing. He scolded her badly and banned her from attending boxing classes.

• When her coach Sanjay Kumar Sheoran noticed Pooja missing from the boxing academy, he visited her home and tried to convince his father to allow Pooja to pursue boxing as her career. However, Pooja’s father was still against her decision.

• It took her around 6 months to convince her father to take up boxing as a career option.

• In 2009, she won her first silver medal at the National Youth Boxing Championship after defeating Preeti Beniwal, a leading boxer from Haryana.

• Subsequently, she won a silver medal at the Asian Boxing Championship in 2012.
  

  Pooja Rani after winning the Asian Championship 2019

• She then participated in the Arafura Games held in Australia in 2012 and won a silver medal. The win eased her path towards the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, she faced a defeat in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2016, which made it difficult for her to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

• In 2014, Pooja represented India in the 2014 Commonwealth Games but lost it to the English boxer, Savannah Marshal.

• Subsequently, she took a part in the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship but got defeated in the first round itself.

• In 2016, Pooja had to undergo hand surgery as she burnt her hand during the Diwali celebrations. She stayed away from boxing for 7-8 months due to her surgery. Shortly after recovering from it, she suffered a shoulder injury and was set for another lengthy layoff from the game.

• In 2020, she defeated Pornnipa Chutee in the quarter-final round of women’s 75 kg at the Asia-Oceania Oly qualifiers, and made her way to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Indian to do so.
  

  Pooja Rani during a boxing event

• Besides boxing, she is also serving as an Income Tax inspector at the Haryana government.

• Whenever free, Pooja loves to travel.

• She is a fitness enthusiast and hits the gym daily.
  

  Pooja Rani during her work-out session

• Pooja is an avid dog lover and has a pet named Jerry.
  

  Pooja Rani with a dog

• In 2015, she was awarded the Bhim Award for her contribution to boxing.
  

  Pooja Rani with Bhim Award

• Pooja was featured on the cover of Kreeda magazine in 2021.
  

  Pooja Rani on the cover of the Kreeda magazine

• Her idol is the American boxing legend Claressa Shields.