CHENNAI: There's a healthy mix of hunger and determination as Indian boxers hunt for medals at the Commonwealth Games (CWG), which begins on Thursday. After the disappointment of the 2024 Paris Olympics, pugulists, especially youngsters, have stepped up big time to land some significant medals. They'll be intent on keeping up the green run at Glasgow. A strong show in the next few days will only bolster their belief, crucial ahead of the more-challenging (on paper) Asian Games.
Given the significance of this event, the Indian think-tank are not cutting any corners and the boxers were one of the first bunch to land on UK shores. They underwent a multi-nation camp in Belfast, where they sparred with some of their potential rivals — a form of a dress rehearsal where they could get an edge ahead of the actual competition, which begins on Friday.
In recent editions, India have done well in this competition but it's not going to be easy as there are rivals from England, Northern Ireland, Canada, Wales and Australia, who are expected to provide stiff resistance. "We got some good sparring. Many boxers from other countries have assembled here. We have observed some of our potential opponents as well. We're fine-tuning our preparations," Santiago Nieva, India women's team head coach, had told The New Indian Express recently.
"Northern Ireland, England and Canada have some good boxers. We have faced many of them before. They will be our main rivals but we also know that we have a strong team and we have high ambitions. We will try to do our best," he added.
India do boast a strong team, especially in the women's corner. Jaismine Lamboria, with some noteworthy performances including the world title in 2025, has evolved to become a potent force. Preeti Pawar, after overcoming health concerns, has also shown her high aptitude inside the ring. Priya Ghanghas and Arundhati Choudhary are emerging talents looking to express themselves.
The men's team has also shown promise. Army boxer Sachin Siwach has been the consistent force in recent years while Jadumani Singh, known for his lightning speed, is another exciting talent who'll be looking to leave a good impression.
While the young faces may have ticked all the right boxers in recent times, there's still a little bit of uncertainty given their lack of experience at the elite level. For most of them, this will be their first time at the Games. But there's genuine belief in the camp that the boxers can better the previous highs. "It's difficult to say (making predictions). Sometimes you need a little bit of luck but everything looks good, the team looks strong. Hopefully, we can eclipse the last two editions (2018, 2022 editions). Obviously, it's not a given. We have the capacity to do as well or better this time," Nieva said.
"CWG, in itself, is an important tournament. And we want to do well in all tournaments. We have high ambitions and we need to do well in the Asian Games as well. It gives us a better understanding of where we stand."
For the Argentina-born Swedish coach Nieva, this will be his second time with the Indian team after the 2018 edition. Nieva and the rest of the coaching staff are just ensuring that the boxers are in a healthy state of mind. "We look at this as any other competition. They have to go and perform as they have shown in many competitions, in training. We don't look to put the pressure on them. We just try to motivate them to be at their best."
Chance for Lovlina to complete set
One of the Indians who'll be in the spotlight is Lovlina Borgohain. The 28-year-old from Assam has landed numerous significant medals over the years but surprisingly, she is yet to medal at CWG. Paris Games and the subsequent year was rough for Lovlina but she has regained her form in the nick of time to qualify for CWG and Asiad.
"Lovlina is doing well in training. I see some improvements. We hope that she can show that doing the competition. In her weight category, there are some strong boxers. But she's absolutely one of the favourites. Lovlina is the most experienced. She has taken part twice and missed out on medals on both the occasions. Now she is there to make amends and I see her as one of the strong candidates for gold," Nieva said.
Priya's tryst with two-time Olympic champion
Exposure tours can go a long way in helping boxers get acclimatised and get to know their potential opponents. For Priya, it was the opportunity of a lifetime as she sparred with a legend in the form of two-time Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington.
"Priya got to spar with Kellie, which was really inspiring. It was a great session and it gives us confidence that Priya is also at a high level," Nieva revealed.
The recent FIFA World Cup created a lot of buzz. It was no different for the Indian boxing camp, who were in Belfast at the time. Like most of the rest of the world, the Indian boxers were in the Lionel Messi camp or the Cristiano Ronaldo camp (no prizes for guessing who Nieva was supporting). "Many of the boxers and coaches were interested. Many of the girls were also following it closely. We had some Argentina fans. Sakshi, Jaismine and Lovlina were rooting for Argentina when we beat England. But we do have some Ronaldo fans as well," Nieva said with a smile.
The World Cup is history now and like Spain and Argentina, it's time for the boxers to show their footwork and mental fortitude in the next few days.
The contenders
Women: 51kg: Sakshi Chaudhary; 54kg: Preeti Pawar; 57kg: Jasmine Lamboria; 60kg: Priya Ghanghas; 65kg: Parveen Hooda; 70kg: Arundhati Choudhary; 75kg: Lovlina Borgohain.
Men: 55kg: Jadumani Singh; 60kg: Sachin Siwach; 65kg: Aditya Pratap Singh; 70 kg: Sumit Kundu; 80kg: Ankush; 90 kg: Kapil Pokhariya; +90kg: Narendra Berwal.
Competition dates: July 24 to August 1
Venue: SEC Centre, Scottish Event Campus
2 In the last edition in Birmingham, the Indian boxing team had finished second with 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals.
