From Harmoti to Hyderabad: Aroti Doley’s boxing dream shines
Raised in a humble family, Aroti’s journey began when her uncle, a former boxer & now with the Assam Rifles, took her to the SAI centre in Golaghat.;

Youngsters Aroti Doley (3rd left), Gitimoni Gogoi (centre) and Bhupali Hazarika (3rd right) pose with Lovlina (2nd left) and Ankushita Boro (2nd right) with the medals at the Elite Women National Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad.
Guwahati, July 4: For Aroti Doley, it all began with a nudge from her uncle. That nudge has now transformed into a podium finish at the national level. The 23-year-old boxer from Harmoti, Lakhimpur, clinched a bronze medal in the 57kg category at the recently concluded Elite Women National Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad.
“I’m so grateful to my uncle who pushed me into boxing at a time when I had no clue what it even was,” Aroti told The Assam Tribune, smiling with pride. “Now I’m beginning to see the results.”
Aroti is one of five Assam boxers who returned home with medals from the championship. Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) and Ankushita Boro (65kg) struck gold, while Gitimoni Gogoi (70kg) bagged a silver, and Bhupali Hazarika (54kg) added another bronze to Assam’s tally.
Raised in a humble family, Aroti’s journey began when her uncle, Nogen Doley, a former boxer and now with the Assam Rifles, took her to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Golaghat. “He couldn’t continue boxing, so he dreamt that I would,” Aroti shared. She has now been training at SAI Guwahati for the last three years.
“My uncle was overjoyed. He told me, ‘I knew you’d win a medal.’ He reminded me to keep working hard and learn from my mistakes,” she said.
Aroti, a strong believer in perseverance, draws inspiration from legends like Mary Kom and Lovlina, and current stars like Ankushita. “I try to learn from every boxer I meet. That’s how I want to grow—step by step, day by day.” Her ultimate dream? “To represent India at the Olympics and win a medal.”
Meanwhile, 26-year-old Gitimoni Gogoi made a strong impression by winning her first-ever national-level silver medal in the 70kg category. A trainee at SAI Guwahati, she started boxing at 17 in her hometown Moran, then moved to Golaghat and finally Guwahati to pursue the sport more seriously.
“This silver has given me a lot of confidence. I’m determined to go for gold in the next tournament,” said Gitimoni, who is now heading to a national camp in Patiala, thanks to her performance.
Bhupali Hazarika, 23, who won bronze in the 54kg division, also has her sights set high. From Jyoti Nagar in Golaghat — just a stone’s throw from the SAI hostel — Bhupali entered boxing by chance. “I had gone to the ground just to accompany a friend,” she recalled. “Ironically, my friend quit, and I stayed on.”
Now in her fourth year of training at SAI Guwahati, Bhupali believes Lovlina’s Olympic medal has had a transformative impact on the sporting atmosphere in Assam. “That moment gave us all a boost. We now believe that we can do it too. So many girls have taken up boxing seriously since then,” she said.
Bhupali also won a bronze medal at the 2023 National Games, and remains committed to making it big.
Hemanta Kumar Kalita, general secretary of the Assam Amateur Boxing Association, praised the rising wave of talent. “It’s heartening to see this new generation of boxers from Assam coming up strongly. With support from the state government, SAI, and our association, we’re doing our best to help them. I believe many more will follow in their footsteps,” he said.