Amman, Jordan: As many as 165 boxers from 24 nations will converge in Amman, the capital city of Jordon for the continental challenge at the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships. The field of contention, which will witness the cream of boxing talent from the Asian continent, will also consist of 10 sturdy Indian pugilists on the top of their game bidding for the continental title.  

The competition is scheduled to be held from 1st to the 8th of July, 2013.

Apart from India hosts nation Jordon, China, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea and Uzbekistan will be competing with full 10-member team in Amman and this will be the first time eight nations will be participating with maximum number of athletes in the continental championship.

The Asian Championships will be held as per AIBA Technical Rules & AOB Competition Rules effective on March 11, 2013. The new approved AIBA Scoring System will be in place, meaning that for the awarding of points the ‘Ten-Point Must System’ will be used. The competition gear for boxers will include head guards in the championship.

THE INDIAN CHALLENGE

On a still and sultry Friday evening the 14-member Indian Boxing Team, including 10 boxers and four coaches donned in their Monnet boxing gear entered the Karnail Singh Stadium, nestled in the heart of New Delhi, to make their last minute preparation for the continental championship. Chief National Coach Gurbux Singh Sandhu, with his usual diligence, made sure the boxers got the right practice in what was a light training session during their transit stay in the capital.

“It’s a heady mix of youth and experience”, he exclaimed, referring to the composition of the Indian team, whilst timing the short bursts of sprints of his wards. Later on he further added, “It’s a well balanced team, all the selected boxers are currently top ranked in their respective weight category in the domestic circuit and even the ones that are not very experienced are capable of causing an upset” 

Talking about the event, Rajesh Bhandari, Secretary General of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation said, “The Asian Championships will play a very significant role in our preparations leading up to the World Championships later this year. It is the first major tournament of the year for the Asian boxers and will be a litmus test for our boxers with the new scoring system.”

Sandhu believes that change in the scoring structure will help develop the overall game as the focus will be on dominating the rounds to impress the judges. He also expressed, “This will be the first time the selected boys will box under the new rules and therefore it will be good test for them and we will have to see how everyone adapts to it. We have been practicing at the camps with the new system, but we are not stressing too much about it, our focus is only on good performance and the rest follows”.

Spearheading the Indian attack at the championships would be Olympian and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar (64kg) and 2010 Asian Games silver medallist Dinesh Kumar (91kg). Manoj who won the silver medal at the recently concluded Limassol Boxing Cup in Cyprus is upbeat about his chances but said he will have to be wary of the new scoring structure. He stated, “The silver medal at the Limassol Boxing Cup has helped me get back into competitive rhythm, but this will be my first exposure to the rule changes in the scoring pattern, therefore I will have to adapt my game accordingly”. Dinesh who made his comeback to the Indian team after a long gap at the Limassol Boxing Cup in Cyprus also bagged a silver medal beating Olympian and WSB boxer Chouaib Bouloudinat from Algeria in the semis. The 24 year old who lost his spot in the light heavy weight category to Sumit Sangwan also battled injuries, that kept him away from the national team. He now has jumped a level and will lead the charge in the heavy weight division. Kumar stated, “I have been out of competition for a long time because of which I gained weight and after consultation with Coach Sandhu I decided to fight in the 91 kilogram weight”. Talking about his chances in Amman he also said, “Winning the silver medal at Cyprus was a big confidence boost for me, especially my semi-final victory over Bouloudinat and I am sure Amman will turn out to be a good hunting ground for me”.

Other notable faces in the squad are Olympians L Devendro Singh (49kg), who made it to the London Games quarterfinals and Shiva Thapa (56kg). Gold medallist at the Limassol Boxing Cup in Cyprus Madan Lal (52kg) and Mandeep Jangra (69kg) will also be seen in action, along with Asian Championships debutants Sukhdeep Singh Bhatti (75kg), Jagroop Singh (81kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg)

The complete squad is as follows: