Asian Boxing Championships to have men & women’s competition simultaneously

In a move to revolutionise the sport of boxing in the Asian continent, the Asian Boxing Federation has made a major change in the manner in which the upcoming Asian Boxing Championship will be conducted. The Asian showpiece event will be held simultaneously for men and women for the first time since its inception in 1963 as Bangkok would play host for the 30th edition of the continental competition that will be held from April 19 to 27 

The nations willing to participate in the competition have until March 19 to register for the tournament. The women's Asian Championships have been organised on seven occasions so far, with the last one being in Vietnam in 2017.

"For the very first time in the history of the elite event, both genders will be attending at the same time in Thailand's capital which is scheduled to take place in April 16-27," the Asian Boxing Confederation said in a statement.

The championships will be held across 10 weight classes for both men and women. The competition will be held at the Huamark Indoor Stadium that has a capacity of 6,000 seats.

The last edition of the championship was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 2017 during which the Indian boxing contingent won two silver and two bronze medals in the 2017 men's edition. Shiva Thapa and Sumit Sangwan clinched silver last time round, while Amit Panghal and Vikas Krishan had to settle for bronze. Indian legend MC Mary Kom won India's solitary gold medal in the women's 2017 edition.