The newly constructed boxing ring at SAI-LNCPE, Kariavattom, is now abuzz with activities after the arrival of a fresh contingent of pugilists from the North East. Ten promising and top-rated pugilists, five of them sponsored by Mittal Champions Trust and one under the Olympic Gold Quest, are undergoing training under former national coach D Chandralal at the SAI centre here. The camp, which started on October 15, will conclude on October 28.
The star-studded list of trainees includes two youth world champions: Sarju Baladevi and Minu Basumatary. Both Sarju and Minu had won the world youth boxing titles in 48 kg and 64 kg categories respectively in the championships held in Turkey in 2011. Sarju, who is viewed with respect even by opponents and on whom the boxing fraternity has pinned their hopes on, and Minu, who is known for her all out attacking style, are accompanied by eight other national medal winners.
The other boxers in the squad include, National Games silver medalist Pwilao Basumatary and Asian Games bronze medalist Bhagyavathi Kachary.
The striking feature of this batch is that all the players are from the strife-hit north eastern states of Manipur and Assam. Seven pugilists are products of SAI’s Kokrajhar centre, while three others are from Imphal centre. As the national youth team coach Chandralal points out, the players are all promising and if properly looked after they can evolve into big stars.
“All are talented and young. But the finest attribute of the team is their age. All are around 19 years of age and after if they are imparted proper training and international exposure, surely they will bring laurels in bigger arenas,” he said.
Sarju Baladevi and Minu Basumatary also appeared upbeat about their training in Kerala. Currently they are undergoing training in endurance and sparring. Another advantage of the youth brigade’s visit is that youngsters from Kerala will get a chance to see the national players at close quarters. “It will help them to learn more about boxing and the physical and mental skills required to excel in the profession,” said the coach.