CHENNAI: Indian boxers have been a busy lot this year. With marquee events — Commonwealth Games (April 4 | 15) & Asian Games (August 18 | September 2) — on the horizon, the pugilists have been focussed on the task at hand, trading punches in multiple tournaments/exposure tours in a bid to be ready for those tests.
Take the case of rising star Amit Panghal. A quick look at his career highlights suggests he has all the tools to make it big this season. Part of the India senior crew since 2016, Amit had a rich 2017, snaring a bronze medal during the Asian Championships. It was in the World Championships (Hamburg, Germany) later where he demonstrated fighting spirit, earning much-deserved praise from all quarters for his brave effort during the event. The 49kg boxer had just missed out on a medal, losing to Olympic champ Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals then.
That was laudable, but Amit believes he has more to offer in the months to come. “First and foremost, I’m looking forward to the Commonwealth Games. I’m keen on giving my best performance out there,” he told Express from Sofia, Bulgaria, where he will be competing in the 69th International Boxing Tournament “Strandja” (February 18-26).
Before the new federation (BFI) was formed, the sport had hit a pause. Without tournaments (barring continental/world meets), Indian boxing was actually going backwards. But now with more traffic in terms of tournaments/exposure tours, Amit has been one of the beneficiaries. Armed with valuable experience, the Rohtak boxer is looking to the future with more self-belief. “We have been practicing for some time now. I truly believe I’m a better boxer than what I was in the past,” the 21-year-old said.
After young women boxers reserved promise for future during the Youth Women’s World Championship in home territory (five gold and two bronze in Guwahati) late last year, the first-ever Indian Open Boxing (an international meet) was conducted. While London Olympics bronze medallist MC Mary Kom was among gold medal winners, thereby taking all the attention, Amit quietly added to his swelling reputation after matching her feat then. “It was another victory that gave me a lot of confidence and I learnt a lot,” the Army man, who is also in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), recalled.
Apart from Amit, eight other pugilists will be in action in Bulgaria. Shiva Thapa (60kg), Manoj Kumar (69kg), Vikas Krishan (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) are some of the certified glovesmen who will be hustling for similar hits like Amit. There are couple of new faces too as they look to learn a thing or two.
anmol@newindianexpress.com