2021 Men's Boxing World Championships | India set to field a relatively inexperienced squad
Shiva Thapa is one of the more prominent boxers to feature in the upcoming meet
|India will be fielding a relatively inexperienced squad in the upcoming Men’s Boxing World Championships, which begins on Monday, in Belgrade. Former silver medalist Amit Panghal and 2020 Tokyo Olympics participant Manish Kaushik are two of the prominent pugilists to remain absent.
Much was expected from the Indian boxers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics campaign, but most of them flattered to deceive. In fact, baring one, Lovlina Borgohain, who claimed a bronze medal in her category, the entire contingent was a flop.Â
Moving forward, India is set to field a relatively young squad for the upcoming Men’s Boxing World Championships, which begins in Belgrade, on Monday. For starters, former silver medalist Amit Panghal and 2020 Tokyo Olympics participant Manish Kaushik will miss out on the upcoming event.Â
Among the notables featuring in the meet are Asian medal-winners Deepak Kumar (51kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), and Sanjeet (92kg), with them already touching down in the host city on October 20. Sanjeet is the reigning Asian champion, while Deepak is a former silver-medalist. Siva Thapa is a five-time Asian champion, while the only one of the above lot to have competed at the world event, having won a bronze medal in the 2015 edition.
The rest of the 10 boxers in the meet are relatively young and newly-crowned national champions. High-performance director Santiago Nieva, who would be serving in his last tournament, will accompany the contingent, alongside recently appointed head coach Narender Rana and Commonwealth Games silver-medallist L Devendro Singh.
India’s squad for the Men’s Boxing World Championship:
Govind Sahani (48kg), Deepak Kumar (51kg), Akash (54kg), Rohit Mor (57kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Akash (67kg), Nishant Dev(71kg), Sumit (75kg), Sachin Kumar (80kg), Lakshya (86kg), Sanjeet (92kg) and Narender (+92kg)
