Eight men and five women from India will be aiming to secure Tokyo Olympics berths at the continental event being conducted by the International Olympic Committee's Boxing Task Force. The Indian hopes will be spearheaded by Panghal and Mary Kom, both proven and consistent performers on the big stage.
Debutant boxer Amit Panghal (49kg) continued his sensational run to make the final with a hard-fought win but an injured Vikas Krishan (75kg) had to settle for bronze after being declared medically unfit for his semifinal at the 18th Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Friday.
'We have spoken to all the foreign coaches and they have assured us that they are all committed to their jobs till Tokyo Games'
Shiva Thapa and Vikas Krishan will be among India's best bets to better both the colour and number of medals at the 19th World Boxing Championships, starting in Hamburg on Friday.
It's a dip that India can probably relate to given that the country went from two gold, three silver and four bronze in Guangzhou 2010 to a mere two bronze at Incheon 2014.
The change means that Panghal, an Asian Games gold-medallist in 49kg, will now have to move to 52kg, while Thapa and Kaushik will have to forego the 60kg division and move up to the newly-created 63kg. Thapa is a three-time Asian Championships medallist and a world bronze-medallist, while Kaushik won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games last year.
Mary will be up against fellow Indian and Asian Championships bronze medallist Nikhat Zareen in a blockbuster semi-final as the duo confirmed two medals for India.
In its 19-page Standard Operating Procedure for resumption of training as well as competitions, the Boxing Federation of India has mandated health protocols similar to what the Sports Authority of India has suggested.
Mary Kom lets it rip after winning trial bout against Nikhat Zareen
India have done reasonably well in the quadrennial continental event, only twice finishing outside the top eight since hosting the first Asiad in 1951.
Men joined the gold quest through Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Vikas Krishan (75kg) as the team rejoiced its best ever medal haul at the mega-event on Saturday.
Asian Games medallists Vikas Krishan (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) were among the five Indian boxers who entered the finals, on Friday, while three others settled for bronze medals in what is turning out to be India's best ever performance inside the ring at the Commonwealth Games.
Indian boxing's national observer Akhil Kumar sees nothing wrong in leaving out national chief coaches from the Commonwealth Games contingent but what irks him is the higher pay and greater importance given to the foreigners in the support staff.
Boxer Vikas Krishan prefers US Pro bouts to National camp in Patiala
Medals galore at most tournaments they gloved up for and an administrative recovery that heldout promise of a better future -- there were loads to celebrate in Indian boxing this year, during which quite a few punched above their weight.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Monday
Amit Panghal (52kg) picked up his second successive gold medal of the year
M C Mary Kom managed to surpass even herself, obliterating everyone and everything else along the way in a tumultuous year for the sport.
Amit Panghal displayed soldier's grit to stun the reigning Olympic champion for India's only boxing gold while two 50-plus bridge players proved that age is just a number with top finishes as the country achieved its best-ever medal haul at the Asian Games, in Jakarta, on Saturday. India equalled its best gold medal haul by touching 15, something that last happened back in 1951, as the overall tally surpassed the 65 in Guangzhou by three this time.
There was ecstasy and agony in equal measure for the Indian contingent on Friday.
'Our boxers are mature and strong enough to withstand these kinds of shocks.'
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