Imphal: For Manipur’s Jadumani Singh Mandengbam, the Commonwealth Games silver medal in Glasgow has not brought a pause to his journey. Instead, it has raised the stakes ahead of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The 22-year-old boxer made an impressive Commonwealth Games debut in the men’s 55kg category, winning four successive bouts to reach the final before going down to Australia’s Jye Dixon. The silver was a significant breakthrough for the Manipuri, who had only recently moved up from 50kg to 55kg
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Jadumani had earlier shown his potential on the international circuit, including a semifinal appearance at the 2025 World Boxing Cup. At the 2026 Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, he also pushed Japan’s top seed Rui Yamaguchi in a closely fought 55kg bout, losing 2-3 on a split decision.
His Glasgow campaign further established him as one of the young boxers India is looking towards in the new 55kg category.
The Commonwealth experience has now fed directly into his Asian Games preparations.
Indian boxers stepped up their preparations through a multinational camp at the NS NIS Patiala, training and sparring with boxers from the Dominican Republic and Iran. Jadumani was among those who benefited from quality sparring, including sessions with Dominican Republic’s Olympic medallist Junior Alcantara, also a 55kg boxer.
The exposure is particularly valuable for Jadumani as he prepares for another major continental test against some of Asia’s strongest boxers.
The young Manipuri has already spoken about returning stronger after his Commonwealth silver, saying he wants to correct the mistakes from Glasgow and work towards gold at his next major competition.
For Manipur, a state that has consistently produced boxers for India, Jadumani’s progression adds another promising chapter to its boxing story.
From making the transition to 55kg to winning Commonwealth silver, his rise has been rapid. Now, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games provide Jadumani with his next opportunity to measure his progress against the best in the continent.
The Commonwealth podium was his breakthrough. The Asian Games could be his next big test.
