CHENNAI: India's build-up to the Asian Games has been dogged by unnecessary controversies and drama off the field. Away from all the hullabaloo, the boxers have been quietly going about their business, with their minds on the intricacies of the game, making every session count for the continental showpiece.
Encouraged after the spike in performance in the last six months or so, the pugilists recently had a two-week training session at the Sheffield Centre of Excellence in England recently, where they sparred with some champion rivals.
The boxers were among toppers for India at the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. Eight men were part of the meet in Gold Coast (Australia) and each one of them had returned home with a medal with World Championship bronze medallist 2011 Vikas Krishan and rookie Gaurav Solanki taking top honours. It has been over a year since Santiago Nieva, the High-Performance Director, joined and he has instilled plenty of optimism in the team.
The coach from Sweden has seen enough to establish the fact that his wards have all the tools to become bigger and better. And he is aware that Asiad will be a fresh benchmark. “We have been focussing on superiority, taking control of the situation and putting pressure on the rivals. Sometimes the bouts can be very close and making key decisions during such situations could be the difference between winning and losing,” he explained. Interestingly, a few in the group duelled with their CWG conquerors during the UK tour. Amit Panghal was up against Galal Yafai in the 49 kg category while senior pro Manoj Kumar got a valuable session against Pat McCormack.
“Only the Asiadbound boxers were there so they got all the attention. The quality of sparring was first-rate. And also, a few boxers were sparring against champion boxers, the ones who had defeated them recently. So, I’m sure they would have learnt a great deal. It should come in handy,” Nieva noted. One of the boxers who also gained from the tour was Shiva Thapa. The 2015 World Championship bronze medallist has had a tough six months or so. Injuries and tough competition had forced the selectors to ignore him for CWG.
The Guwahati lad had beaten his nearest rival during trials earlier and regained his spot in the team. With competition around, Thapa knows he has to make this opportunity count. “Shiva has improved a lot. He is determined and totally committed to doing well. The fact that he regained No 1 position (in 60 kg category) says a lot. He has made necessary adjustments to overcome boxers,” the coach said. Nieva has repeatedly stressed in the past that the real marker will be the Olympics, saying that it will take some time before the team starts yielding results.
But he knows, a good show in Indonesia could spur them and add to the bigger picture. “We’ll be little dependent on the draw. It will be a lot tougher than the CWG as boxers from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. We’re hopeful of a good result. Right now, it’s (Asian Games) our most important target. Next year, it will be a tougher test (World Championship) and we want to prove that we belong to the top,” he said. “Everyone in the team has the potential to win a medal.
Solanki was a standout during the CWG. Manoj (Kumar) has plenty of experience. It will be interesting. Four or five boxers can enter the medal rounds if they bring their A game.” During the rigorous preparations, Nieva and his wards also had the chance to come face to face with WBA heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua. “We were awestruck after meeting him.
He is a big celebrity, who fights in front of sell-out crowds and yet he was very humble. I had met him a long time back once before he was a champion. It was a great experience for everyone in the team,” Nieva said. In the last Games in Incheon, the male boxers had won just two bronze medals. Back in India, the team will be leaving for Indonesia much before the start event in order to get acclimatised to conditions on offer there.
anmol@newindianexpress.com