CHENNAI: The devil lies in the details. India women's head coach Santiago Nieva, along with the rest of the coaching staff, are engrossed in video analysis late on Sunday. It's a common but much-needed practice for coaches at the elite level. And this was just after the conclusion of the official draw of the Asian Championships, which is set to be held from March 30 to April 10 at the ASA Arena in Sukhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
The draw, as is expected at this level, is a tricky one and Nieva and the rest of the support staff are looking to get useful datas for the boxers to exploit in the coming days. The team, comprising a few seasoned stars and rising talents, will be bandying punches in the first major event of the year. The continental meet holds plenty of weight as it could decide the participants' future. Reach the finals and you're set for far meatier events (as per selection policy) in the months to come. Miss out and it could be back to the drawing board.
With rivals from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan also taking part, it goes without saying the boxers will have to put their best foot forward in order to challenge for podium finish. Lovlina Borgohain, one of the seasoned boxers in the team, will be looking to regain her mojo after a subdued 2025. However, the Olympic medallist, who will begin her campaign from the semifinal stage (75kg), could potentially meet rising talent Aziza Zokirova of Uzbekistan, a silver medallist from the 2024 edition. It's no surprise that Nieva & Co were digging into the details and looking to gain an edge.
Lovlina captured gold earlier this year during the Boxing International meet and she will be determined to have a similar run.
Reigning world champs Minakshi Hooda (48kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen are No 1 seeds in their respective weight categories and they'll be hoping to live up to their billing. Nikhat's weight category (51kg) is one that has been competitive for a long time and it's no different this time around. The World No 3 could run into Olympic champ Wu Yu of China in the last-four stage. Wu had ended Nikhat's campaign in Paris with a 5-0 win in the quarterfinal stage.
Besides, Preeti (54kg), Priya (60kg), Ankushita (65kg) and veteran Pooja Rani (80kg) will start their campaigns against rivals from Kazakhstan. "In the women's section, only the strong countries are participating. There are many bouts with Kazakhstan early on but we will do well," Nieva tells The New Indian Express.
Meanwhile, men boxers will have it tougher as the participation is more in most categories. Moreover, most also lack experience at the elite level. Exciting prospect Jadumani Singh Mandengbam (World No 5), who'll begin his campaign on Tuesday, has been drawn against No 3 seed Rui Yamaguchi of Japan.
Sachin (60kg) is one of the pugilists in the men's section with some level of experience and he has been handed the No 2 seeding. The Services boxer will open against Buyandalai Bayarkhuu of Mongolia on Wednesday.
As per Boxing Federation of India selection policy, finalists at the Asian meet in approved weight categories for Commonwealth Games and Asian Games will be picked as the main entry.
