Balwinder Beniwal (64kg) was the third Indian boxer to make it to the semi-finals at the 2011 ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Incheon, South Korea. However, while the 2008 Youth Commonwealth gold medallist got in line for his second international medal with a resounding triumph, the other three Indian boxers in the fray, on Day 9 of the competition, fell by the wayside.
MC Mary Kom and the seasoned L Sarita Devi spearheaded India's gold rush at the second India Open boxing tournament, which concluded on Friday.
Provisionally suspended she might be but Indian boxer L Sarita Devi has not given up hopes of participating in next month's World Championships, saying that she has written to the International Boxing Association (AIBA) presenting her case.
The chairman of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) ad-hoc committee Kishan Narsi has reiterated in an e-mail communication that Boxing India stands provisionally suspended after the derecognised national body in a notification had scheduled its Annual General Meeting in Guwahati on October 3.
'Pathum Nissanka is easily one of the best batters to have come out of Sri Lanka in the recent past and he has delivered once again,' he tweeted with an applause emoji.
For most part, Indian boxing had lots to celebrate and it started with the season-opening Strandja Memorial, one of Europe's oldest and most competitive tournaments.
World Championships bronze medallist Manish Kaushik (63kg) became the ninth Indian boxer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after beating Australia's Harrison Garside in a brutal box-off at the Asian Qualifiers, in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday.
Earlier, another debutant Rohit Mor (57kg) gave India a winning start by sailing past Ecuador's Jean Caicedo 5-0 in a confident opening-round performance on Tuesday. Next up for him is Bosnia and Herzegovina's Alen Rahimic.
Fresh from her fifth Asian Championships gold medal, Indian boxing star M C Mary Kom said her fit body helps her feel invincible despite close to two decades in a contact sport.
Asian Games bronze medallist Pooja Rani (75kg) entered the pre-quarter-finals in the AIBA World Women's Boxing Championships with a hard-fought victory over Ukraine's Mariya Borutsa, in Astana, on Friday.
Check out how India's athletes fared on Day 6, Thursday, August 1, 2024:
India's Sachin Siwach (57kg), Sanjeet Kumar (92kg), Amit Panghal (51kg) and Jaismine (women's 57kg) took another step towards Paris Olympic qualification as they registered convincing victories over their respective opponents to advance in the Boxing World Qualifiers in Bangkok on Thursday.
Vikas Krishan regrets underestimating 19-year-old Youth Olympic champion Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan in the final at the Asian Boxing Championships in Thailand.
Celebrated boxer M C Mary Kom will aim for a historic sixth gold at the AIBA Women' World Championships, the build up of which has been marred by a row over lone Kosovan boxer's participation and poor quality air in the national capital.
Bickering in the Indian boxing community may lead to a mass exodus of Olympic medal prospects to the professional circuit as they are 'starved' of exposure due to the absence of a national federation, South Asian Games Tournament Director (Boxing) Lenny D'Gama has said.
Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg) assured himself of a medal and a place in the upcoming World Championships by storming into the Asian Championships semi-final in Bangkok on Tuesday.
Shami was there to receive the honours. He took 24 wickets in seven World Cup games last year.
Former World Championship silver medallist L Sarita Devi, who lost to five-time world champion M C Mary Kom in the trials, was included in the Indian women's boxing team for the November Asian Games as a reserve.
World Champion boxer Nikhat Zareen said she has adopted a combative approach where "whatever happens I have to fight and give my best."
Faced with the herculean task of reviving the sagging fortunes of Indian boxing, newly-elected Boxing India President Sandeep Jajodia said the sport had been left 'orphaned' in the last couple of years and he would bring it back on track with clean administration.
Incidentally, all three pugilists are currently embroiled in court case with the BFI over selection for the Asian Games.
Indian boxing finally came out of an administrative exile after the International body AIBA gave provisional recognition to the newly-elected Boxing India, clearing the decks for the the country's pugilists' hassle-free participation in the upcoming Asian Games.
The pugilists were due to start training later this month or early in August after the Boxing Federation of India got the SAI nod to conduct the national camp amid the pandemic.
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.
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.
Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg) and Asian Games bronze-medallist Vikas Krishan (75kg) will spearhead a nine-strong Indian team at the AIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, starting June 16, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Teen Indian boxing sensation Vikas Krishan's dream run at the World Championships came to an end as he settled for a bronze medal after losing his welterweight (69kg) semifinal bout in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday.
As boxer Nikhat Zareen prepares to head to her first World Championships in the 51 kg category, she feels she has plenty in her armoury to go the distance.
Thokchom Nanao Singh continued his blazing form and stunned Cadet World Championship bronze medallist Grigoriy Nikolaychuk of Russia 15-5 to clinch the gold at the inaugural AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Army boxer ended up being India's lone medallist in the event, where the team finished ninth overall with 15 points.
Manu Bhaker marched into the final of women's 10m air pistol event at the Olympics after finishing third in qualifications on Saturday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
Sarita Devi, on Sunday, bowed out of the World Boxing Championships
Six-time champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) was beaten by Turkey's Busenaz Cakiroglu in the semi-finals and had to settle for a bronze medal in the World Women's Boxing Championships, in Ulan-Ude, on Saturday.
Commonwealth Games heavy weight champion Paramjeet Samota clinched his fifth consecutive gold at the 58th Senior Men's National Boxing Championship after beating Satish Kumar of Services in the finals in Chennai.
The 26-year-old boxer is aiming to become India's first boxer with three back-to-back Asian Games medals.
Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom has resigned as the national observer for Indian boxing after Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore made it clear that active sportspersons will not be considered for the position.
India's L Sarita Devi (60kg) stunned defending champion and world No 2 Gulsum Tatar of Turkey to enter the pre-quarter-finals in the seventh World Women's Boxing Championships in Qinhuangdao, China, on Monday and inch closer to qualifying for the London Olympics.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
'It has made things easier for me in terms of planning for Olympics'
It was a dream day for India at the sixth Asian Women's Boxing Championships, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as three of the four pugilists on view won their quarter-final bouts. With five boxers having qualified for the semi-finals earlier, the Indian team is assured of a record eight medals from the event.
