CHENNAI: During these uncertain times, Indian male boxers have been diligently training at NIS, Patiala, for the last few months. As reported by this daily last month, the boxers are hoping for an exposure tour.
National chief coach CA Kuttappa revealed that his wards have made solid progress in the camp so far and
underlined the importance of competitive action for his boxers. "This phase is vital for us. If we get the exposure tour, it will be a boost. One cannot prepare for the Olympics in the last few months. We usually have a four-year plan for the Olympics. When the Olympics was originally slated for 2020, we were highly active during 2019. So we cannot do without much competition ahead of 2021 Olympics," Kuttappa told this daily from Patiala.
Several meetings among coaches and Boxing Federation of India (BFI) have been conducted in the past few months in regards to foreign tour for training and competition. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) will have the final say on that matter and the boxers' immediate future is likely to be decided in a day or two.
If the proposal is accepted by SAI, the boxers are likely to head to Italy for training in mid-October and take part in a competition in France (Alexis Vastine International Boxing) at the end of the month (October 27-31).
Santiago Nieva, men's high performance director, is currently at his home in Sweden and could join the team in Italy or else he's expected to be back in India by mid-October. The Dronacharya awardee, on his part, has been rallying his wards to stay focussed and using every bit of his experience, along with the experience of other support staff, to keep the pugilists motivated.
Recreational activities to cope with the lean period (in terms of competition) has been one of the methods adopted by Kuttappa to keep his wards fresh. "The boys have been doing well so far. They need motivation, so we want them to get this exposure tour. It goes without saying if your mindset is not right, the boxers would not be able to give their maximum during competitions including the Olympics. We have to stay positive," he said.
Experienced ace Shiva Thapa (63 kg), Sumit Sangwan (81 kg) and Duryodhan Singh Negi (69 kg) are the latest boxers to join the camp which comprises of 13 boxers in total. Having completed their quarantine, the trio are expected to join the rest of the campers and commence training soon.
With 2019 World Championships bronze medallist Manish Kaushik still recuperating from an injury, and Asian Championships (2021) in mind, the coaches thought it would be wise to bring in Shiva and give him much-needed practice.
Duryodhan, on the other hand, has been brought in in the absence of Vikas Krishan, who's currently training in USA. "Shiva is an experienced pro, he knows what is required of him. With Asian Championships next year, we want him to be ready for that," Kuttappa said.