CHENNAI: Indian women boxers could be seen trading punches with Kazakhstan boxers in Istanbul a few days back. That was just a dress rehearsal ahead of their first major challenge this year — the IBA Women's World Championships, which is set to commence on Monday.
In Istanbul for a little over two weeks as part of an exposure tour, the Indians have had sparring sessions with pugilists from various participating nations in Turkey.
National chief coach, Bhaskar Bhatt, said that the camp in Turkey was a welcome boost for his wards, especially the youngsters.
Gaining last-minute ideas from sparring sessions with boxers from other nations, some of them more renowned, could prove to be significant during demanding bouts in the days to go.
MC Mary Kom, a name that is synonymous with the big-ticket event, is not part of the team this time. In her absence, Nikhat Zareen, who will be taking part in the marquee event for just the second time in her career.
Zareen will be determined to make the most of this opportunity and firmly establish her name as number one in her weight category in the national team ahead of Paris Olympics.
The quarterfinalist from the 2016 edition is one of the in-form boxers, having won the Strandja Memorial Boxing title earlier this year. That has naturally bolstered her confidence levels ahead of this event.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist, Lovlina Borgohain, will be the boxer to keep a close eye on. With her weight category (69kg) not part of the Olympic programme, Lovlina, a two-time bronze medallist (2018, 2019) will be keen to maintain her healthy record at the Worlds.
Given that her weight category won't be part of Paris Games in 2024, it's likely that some of the top boxers won't be part of the meet or would have shifted to some other weight category. Saweety Boora (75kg) and Pooja Rani (81kg) are other boxers who have years of experience and will be determined to use that to their advantage.
Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Shiksha (54kg), Jaismine (60kg), Parveen (63kg), Ankushita Boro (66kg) are some of first-timers in the team. A strong show here could shape their futures, a viewpoint that Bhatt concurs with.
"The good thing about the youngsters is that they have nothing to lose. Whatever experience that they gain here will only help them. They are an excited bunch and have been giving their maximum effort in the build-up," Bhatt said.
Having taken over the role as chief coach of the women's national team after the Tokyo Olympics, this is also the first time Bhatt will be guiding the side in the world event. On paper, the team has all the potential to medal in multiple weight categories but Bhatt's initial goal lies in beating the recent mark (India won 1 silver and 3 bronze in the 2019 edition). It should also be noted that then the weight categories were just 10 as compared to 12 this time.
"I can see the hunger in the eyes of all the boxers. All the experienced and the young boxers are raring to give a good account of themselves. They have had good training sessions here in Istanbul and it will be interesting to see how they go about their business," he said.
The official draw, which is set to be held on Sunday evening, could also give an indicator on how far Indians can go this time around.
Santiago Nieva steps down
Santiago Nieva has stepped down from his role as Indian boxing team's high performance director, the Boxing Federation of India announced on Saturday.
Nieva, who took charge of the national team in 2017, played a vital role in building a boxing eco-system and helping the boxers capture medals in multiple events.