A cash bonanza awaits Indian boxers if they notch up medals at the London Olympics.
India's long-serving boxing coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu expects two more of his wards to make the cut for London Olympics from the Asian qualifying event in April after four of them booked their berths in last year's World Championships.
Thanks to their decent showings in recent years, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Abhay Singh Chautala has pinned his hopes on the pugilists to bring laurels to the country in the upcoming London Olympics.
World Championship bronze medalist Vikas Krishan stormed into the men's 69kg category final while five-time world champion woman boxer MC Mary Kom made a shock quarter-final exit in the Olympic boxing test event in London on Sunday.
Shiva Thapa (56kg) was the lone Indian boxer to make the final after Olympic-bound Vikas Krishan (69kg) settled for a bronze medal following his loss in the semi-final of the 43rd men's and women's Grand Prix in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic.
Also ending with a bronze was tournament debutant and national champion Varinder Singh (60kg) after a high-intensity clash against Iran's Daniyal Shahbakhsh. The Indian lost 2-3 after fighting his heart out.
It was a promise made one year ago, after he struck gold at the Commonwealth Games but boxer Manoj Kumar, who is now also assured of a berth in next year's London Olympics, is still waiting to be promoted in Indian Railways.
He is one of India's best bets for an Olympic medal in boxing, but World No 6 Vikas Krishan does not quite like the spotlight on him as he feels it is better to be 'unknown' to lead a normal life.
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.
All of 18, World Youth champion Vikas Krishan (60kg) has become the youngest member of the reshuffled core group of Indian boxers for the Commonwealth Games from which nine were axed after failing to impress in the just-concluded National Championships in New Delhi.
Mary Kom (51kg) will open her campaign against Dominica's Miguelina Hernandez on July 25; Panghal gets bye into pre-quarters.
Vikas Krishnan became the second Indian boxer to book a pre-quarterfinal berth at the Asian Games after the teenager beat Thailand's Saylom Ardee in his opening round bout in the men's 60-kg category, in Gaungzhou, on Wednesday.
Vikas Krishan (60 kg) picked his second successive international gold medal, while Shiva Thapa (54 kg) settled for a silver as India rounded off its World Youth Boxing Championship campaign with two medals, in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday.
I keep a licensed revolver with me always in my car, there are some personal issues with someone which I don't want to disclose, said boxer Neeraj Goyat.
Teen sensation Vikas Krishan, who ended India's 12-year-old wait for a boxing gold at the Asian Games, on Tuesday said he never expected to clinch the yellow metal considering he was competing in his first international event at the senior level.
Images from day 14 of the Asian Games at Guanzhou on Thursday.
Vikas Krishan added to India's gold medals rush on Thursday when he beat China's Qing Hu in the final of the men's 60-kg boxing event at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou.
On a day that saw mixed results for India, teen sensation Vikas Krishan (60kg) and Dinesh Kumar (81kg) made their way into the finals with comprehensive wins but two other Indians had to settle for bronze medals at the Asian Games boxing semi-finals in Guangzhou on Wednesday.
The impressive show of the Indian pugilists continued at the Asian Games as Vikas Krishan and Manpreet Singh assured themselves of bronze medals in the men's ring and Preeti Beniwal scored a dominating win on the debut day of women's boxing at the mega sports event in Guangzhou on Sunday.
The BFI wanted to start the camp on June 10 originally but had been waiting to secure permissions from the state government and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Asian quarter-finalist Sachin (49kg) scored an emphatic victory over Mexico's Gustavo Antonio Alvarez to enter second round of the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia on Saturday.
Boxer Vikas Krishan won a bronze medal for India after his Mexican opponent Daniel Echeverria was disqualified midway into the men's 60kg class third-place play-off in the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore on Tuesday.
Professional boxing in India is all set to get a massive fillip as the national capital will host an AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) fight night on June 11 featuring former World Championship bronze-medallist Vikas Krishan, who would be assured of an extra shot at Olympic qualification through this.
Asian champion Vikas Krishan (60kg) and Shiva Thapa (54kg) assured themselves of not just a medal but also a berth in the Youth Olympic Games after qualifying for the semi-finals of the World Youth Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan on Friday.
Archer Atanu Das and boxer Vikas Krishan entered the pre-quarterfinals, while the men's hockey team stood up to the challenge posed by Argentina to virtually sew up a last-eight spot on a reasonably successful day for Indian athletes in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
'I need this desperately to assess myself before the Olympics'
Five-time world champion M C Mary Kom entered the final in the 48 kg classs at the Commonwealth Games, beating Sri Lanka's Anusha Dilrukshi , on Wednesday.
On a comeback trail after serving her one-year ban, Asian Games bronze-medallist L Sarita Devi will be seen in competitive action from December 1 as part of a 13-strong Indian team of 10 men and 3 women for the training-cum-competition event in the Chinese city of Qian'an.
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.
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.
Indian boxers shone bright at the Doha International Tournament as Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh (49kg) advanced to the final, while six others entered the semis.
Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports led the tributes for the champion pugilist.
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.
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.
His much-awaited Olympic debut has been delayed by a year but star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra is unfazed as he feels humanity needs to focus on the coronavirus pandemic more than anything else right now.
All of the boxers have been training at their respective homes ever since the nationals camps came to a halt in mid-March owing to the virus outbreak
With a month to go for the Tokyo Olympics Vijender Singh takes a trip down memory lane to relive one of the most iconic moments in Indian sport... India's first Olympic medal in boxing.
India have named a strong 10-member boxing team for the forthcoming South Asian Games to be held in Shillong from February 13 to 16.
Check out India's schedule on Day 7 of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, on Friday.
Threatened with disqualification for not wearing vests bearing their country's name, India's boxers at the ongoing 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro have got their kits replaced as required by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and will now compete without any hindrance.
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