He is the youngest Indian pugilist to qualify for the Olympics but Shiva Thapa was busy trying his hand at athletics and football to start with before catching the phenomenal Mike Tyson on TV charmed him into taking up boxing.
Olympics-bound Vikas Krishan (69kg) and Shiva Thapa (56kg) assured India of at least two bronze medals at the 43rd men's and women's Boxing Grand Prix after reaching the semi-finals of the event in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic.
Just being in the final was enough to fetch him an Olympic berth at the Asian Qualifiers but teen Indian boxer Shiva Thapa (56kg) on Saturday said his target was never just the London ticket as he was desperate to hear the national anthem during the medal ceremony -- played only for the gold-medallists.
Indian boxer Shiva Thapa stunned former Olympic silver-medallist Worapoj Petchkoom 16-10 to enter the semi-finals of the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Astana (Kazakhstan) and is now just one win away from booking a berth for the London Games.
Aiming to secure berths in the world championship squad, close to 400 boxers, including the likes of five-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa and former world bronze-winner Gaurav Bidhuri, will be competing in the National Men's Championships starting in Bellary on Wednesday.
Fourth seed Shiva Thapa (60kg) stunned Olympic bronze-medallist and top seed Dorjnyambuug Otgondalai of Mongolia to enter the Asian Boxing Championships final, in Tashkent, on Friday.
An Olympic quota place pocketed, Indian boxer Shiva Thapa (56kg) ended his campaign with a silver medal after losing in the final of the Asian/Oceania Qualifying Tournament Qian'an, China on Friday. The 22-year-old Assamese, who is a World Championship bronze-medallist, went down 0-3 to Thailand's Chatchai Butdee in the summit clash. Butdee is the reigning Asian champion. Shiva had booked his ticket to Rio de Janeiro by making the finals yesterday after beating Kazakhstan's Kairat Yeraliyev. Meanwhile, it was a heartbreak once again for L Devendro Singh (49kg), who missed a second opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. The Commonwealth silver-medallist, who lost in the semifinals a day prior, went down in the box-off for the Olympic slot on Friday.
The young Indian boxing of L Devendro Singh (49kg), Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Mandeep Jangra (69kg) continued their fine form to enter the finals of the Asian Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan.
Rising Indian boxer Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar(64kg) endured draining contests but came out triumphant to enter the quarterfinals on a bitter-sweet day for India in the World Boxing Championships in Almaty (Kazakhstan) on Monday.
Fourth seed Shiva Thapa (60kg) became the first Indian boxer to clinch three consecutive Asian Championships medals, while Sumit Sangwan (91kg) notched up his maiden podium finish as both boxers settled for silver medals at the continental showpiece, in Tashkent, on Saturday.
Shiva, a World Championships bronze-medallist and a two-time medallist at the Asian meet, edged past Kyrgyzstan's Omurbek Malabekov in a split verdict to make the last-eight stage, where he will face Chinese Taipei's Chu-En Lai in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra is among only three track and field athletes retained in the sports ministry's revamped TOPS core group.
Five-time World champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) pipped arch-rival Pinki Jangra to the India's women's squad, while World Championships bronze medallist Shiva Thapa (56kg) made the cut in a star-studded men's boxing team for the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in China from March 23.
Top seed Vikas Krishan (75kg) and fourth seed Shiva Thapa (60kg) were among the four Indian boxers who qualified for the World Championships and assured themselves of medals by advancing to the Asian Championships semi-finals, in Tashkent, on Wednesday.
Shiva Thapa became only the third Indian boxer ever to assure himself of a World Championships medal besides inching closer to an Olympic berth as he advanced to the semifinals with a dominating victory, in Doha, on Saturday.
Abuse of power, financial misconduct, and the never-ending turf wars are now coming to light as Boxing Federation of India's officials jostle to escape blame for the shocking turn of events.
Lakshya Chahar became the fourth Indian boxer to crash out in the opening round of the first World Olympic Boxing Qualifier.
A bronze medal in his kitty, Indian boxer Shiva Thapa could not add the Olympic quota place to it despite a valiant effort in a hard-fought box-off of the World Championships in Doha on Wednesday.
Impressed by India's performance at the Doha International Tournament, Aussie boxers want exchange programme with India, claims coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu
A tough draw will put their grit to test when the three-member Indian boxing team begins its Olympic campaign, aiming to lift the gloom that pervades the sport back home owing to the long-standing administrative mess.
Sarita, Nikhat also enter semis
Continental champion Shiva Thapa (56kg) was barely tested as he advanced to the quarter-finals but it was curtains for comeback-man Akhil Kumar (60kg) after he lost an edge-of-the-seat last-16 bout on a bitter-sweet day for Indian boxing in the 17th Asian Games.
India have fielded a strong contingent led by two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen and Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain.
Teen sensation Shiva Thapa (56kg) reaffirmed his status as the rising star of Indian boxing, becoming the youngest pugilist from the country to clinch a gold medal at the Asian Championships in Amman, Jordan, on Monday. India, suspended internationally for nearly a year due to administrative wrangling in the federation, rounded off the campaign with a gold, two silver and a bronze medal while fighting under the International Boxing Association's flag.
Tokyo Olympian and 2019 Asian Championships silver medallist Ashish Chaudhary will also be representing the country for the second time and would be keen to add another major medal to his name.
India's comeback-man Akhil Kumar (60kg) pummelled his Nepalese rival Purna Bahadur Lama before notching up a Technical Knockout win to give Indian boxers a good start on Wednesday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
Among other Indians in the competition, four-time Asian medallist Shiva Thapa (63kg) got a bye into the second round.
Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom (51kg) and World Championship bronze-winner Shiva Thapa (56kg) were given the top billing in the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament draw held in Qian'an, China on Friday.
India's top boxer Vijender Singh was knocked out after an intense second-round contest on a day of mixed fortunes for India that saw Shiva Thapa and comeback-man Nanao Singh punch their way in to the pre-quarters at the World Boxing Championships in Almaty. Kazakhstan.
M C Mary Kom (51kg) and Shiva Thapa (60kg) were among the prominent names assured of medals as the host nation continued to dominate the ring in the US $100,000 India Open boxing tournament for men and women, in Delhi, on Tuesday.
Zareen caused a major upset on the second day of the tournament on Wednesday when she out-punched the Russian boxer 5-0.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
'I was determined to return with a medal from the World Championships.'
Asian silver-medallist Sumit Sangwan (91kg) and World silver-medallist Sarjubala Devi (51kg) are among four Indian boxers assured of medals after scoring facile victories in the inaugural India Open, for men and women, in Delhi on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, met the Indian athletes who will represent the country at the forthcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and wished them luck.
Olympic bronze-medallist and five-time world champion M C Mary Kom on Sunday denied reports that she made disparaging remarks against fellow male boxers like Shiva Thapa and Manoj Kumar during a meeting of the national observers in New Delhi.
How India's athletes fared on Day 1 of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Indian boxers came good on Sunday as they advanced to the semi-finals of the Asian Youth Boxing Championship in Tehran, Iran.
Wildcard entrant Gaurav Bidhuri's remarkable run at the World Boxing Championships ended with a bronze medal on Thursday after he lost his semifinal clash to American Duke Ragan in Hamburg.
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