Olympic Games boxing draw : Shiva Thapa handed over a challenging start

Olympic Games boxing draw : Shiva Thapa handed over a challenging start

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India has sent a significantly reduced boxing contingent to the Olympics this time around, and all three of them will face challenging tests in their respective Round-of-32 matches. India's biggest hope in boxing, Shiva Thapa, will face World No.6 Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba in his opening bout.

Shiva Thapa is India's pin-up boy in amateur boxing right now, and the 22-year-old, ranked No.3, will take on World No. 6 Robeisy Ramirez in his Round-of-32 clash of the men's bantamweight (56 kg) division. Ramirez became one of the youngest boxers in history to win an Olympic gold medal, in the flyweight division, when he dominated the field at the London Olympics at just 18.

Manoj Kumar, World No.6, will face World No.9 Evaldas Petrauskas of Lithuania in the men's light welterweight category's Round-of-32 clash. Evaldas won a bronze medal in the lightweight category at the London Olympics at the age of 20, and he will pose a big threat to Manoj's ambition of making it through from the top half of the draw.

World No.13 Vikas Krishan will face Charles Conwell in his opening fight of the men's middleweight division. Although Vikas Krishan has a lot of experience at this point in his career, he will face an 18-year-old from Cleveland, who has been touted as the next best boxer to have come out of the USA. Conwell, who is known for his aggression in the ring, won a gold medal at the Americas Qualifier earlier this year to seal his berth at Rio.

Also read: Can Vijender Singh be India's Manny Pacquiao?

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