Head coach Santiago Nieva is focusing on technical discipline and a tighter defensive guard for the Indian women's boxing team at the Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Following his earlier stint with India, he most recently served as National Head Coach and Technical Lead of Boxing Australia's High Performance Unit.
India's Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain has secured a medal at the Commonwealth Games after receiving a direct entry into the women's 75kg semifinals. With the pressure of a podium finish lifted, Borgohain is now solely focused on winning the gold medal, crediting her recent training and renewed confidence.
He joins ahead of a demanding 2026 season packed with major events, including the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. One of the first things on his agenda will be "tackling" the selection policy.
Indian boxing is considering rewarding boxers who perform well at major international events like the Asian Games with direct entry to the Olympic qualifiers, according to women's head coach Santiago Nieva.
Former Indian boxing coach Mohammed Ali Qamar believes the country's women's boxing squad for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games is one of its best ever, with each of the seven members capable of securing a medal, though he cautioned that draws would be crucial.
Assured of the only major medal missing from her decorated cabinet without even stepping into the ring, Lovlina Borgohain will now chase Commonwealth Games gold even as a new generation of Indian boxers look to announce themselves on the big stage starting in Glasgow on Friday.
Indian boxers, including Nitu Ghanghas and Preeti Pawar, have secured 19 medals at the Boxam Elite International tournament in La Nucia, Spain, with strong performances from both the men's and women's teams.
The Sports Ministry has approved a 191-member Indian contingent for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, comprising 126 athletes and 51 officials. The Ministry has stipulated that expenses for Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Executive Committee members will not be covered by the government. Additionally, National Sports Federations are required to conduct background checks on their contingents, and a performance report must be submitted post-Games.
Indian boxers are set to compete at the Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, aiming for medals and direct qualification for major multi-sport events later in the year.
The boxing selection camp for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games will resume with a revised, trial-based system after the Sports Authority of India (SAI) directed the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) to ensure a fair and transparent assessment process.
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has agreed to rework its selection criteria after talks with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) following the suspension of an assessment camp due to alleged irregularities. The decision comes after concerns were raised about transparency and fair play in the selection process for the Commonwealth and Asian Games.
Indian boxers are set to compete at the Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, aiming for medals and direct qualification for major multi-sport events later in the year, including the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
Lovlina, Arundhati lead as India claim nine gold medals in BOXAM Elite 2026
The change at the helm comes in the wake of an underwhelming couple of years for Indian men's boxing.
Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen will lead the Indian contingent at the Asian Boxing Championships in Mongolia.
The year began on an unusually dull note with boxers absent from most international competition in the aftermath of a medal-less Olympic campaign.
SAI said the decision was taken to ensure that athletes bound for Tokyo Games, postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have continuity in their training.
'He didn't have the strength to move and so he stayed inside and then he didn't have the strength to respond also, and he became passive and there the Colombian scored a lot of points.'
They showed big hearts. They were unfazed by the stature of their rivals and that's what is very important. You respect your rival but don't get intimidated by his CV, says India's High-Performance Director Santiago Nieva.
India protests Chahar's loss but appeal rejected.
India's Ashish Chaudhary was beaten 0-5 by China's Erbieke Touheta in the men's 75kg category boxing at the Tokyo Olympics, on Monday.
Talking of the crisis and its impact on sports, Nieva said things would never be the same again but asserted that people will not give up on live sports either.
Panghal and Kaushik have entered the semi-finals at the Worlds, making it the first time when India have more than one boxer in fray for the medal rounds of the marquee event.
Indian boxer Vikas Krishan (69kg) was out-punched 0-5 and left with a bloodied eye by local favourite Sewonrets Quincy Mensah Okazawa as he bowed out of the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.
Expectations were high from Paris and observers of the game felt at least one, if not two medals, could be expected from the six boxers who qualified.
Anamika, the reigning national champion, lost by a 1-4 split verdict against China's Hu Meiyi in the lightweight final.
Nieva said boxers in all the five Olympic categories for women will be picked after selection bouts over two days.
Four-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa became India's first gold-medallist at the President's Cup boxing tournament after getting a walkover in the final.
Mary Kom was supposed to be in a 14-day quarantine but she broke the protocol when she attended the breakfast hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind
Sarjubala, competing in the flyweight 51kg category, defeated Tajikistan's Madina Ghaforova 5-0 in a bout which was more gruelling than what the score-line suggests.
Indian boxers training in Italy for next month's Olympic qualifiers were given the option of flying out early due to the novel Coronavirus threat in that country but the team has decided to stay put as its training base in Assisi is "far" from the epicentre of the outbreak.
Varinder had to pull out of his 60kg category bout due to high fever but he tested negative for COVID-19.
Boxers reached Amman from Assisi on February 27 and were found all clear after undergoing the mandatory screening for symptoms. Jordan has so far recorded only one positive case.
India's nine Olympic-bound boxers will travel abroad for a three-week training stint after getting a few days' break following a record-shattering medal haul by the country's pugilists at the recently-concluded Asian Championships in Dubai.
India's boxers are headed in the right direction and will do something big at the Tokyo Olympic Games next year, reckons High Performance Director Santiago Nieva.
The deadly COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented postponement as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese government and the athletes world over agreed that Olympics in July-August this year could not have gone ahead in the present circumstances.
In a conference call with these boxers on Sunday, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President Ajay Singh took stock of their preparations amid a national lockdown till April 14 to fight the pandemic.
The 41-year-old, who is a member of the European Boxing Confederation's coaches commission, will be joining the boxers in the first week of June.
The Indian men's boxing team's final campaign at the 35th Boxam International Tournament in Castellon, Spain was derailed by a positive COVID-19 case in the side, resulting in three withdrawals from the summit clashes.
