Boxers look to make it count at World Boxing Cup

New delhi: Asian Games bronze medallist Narender Berwal will headline a 10-member Indian men’s boxing team that was handed a mixed draw at the inaugural World Boxing Cup in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, starting Monday.

This will be the first event hosted by World Boxing since receiving provisional recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February and the inclusion of the sport in the 2028 LA Olympics. Competitions will be held for both men and women, but India has sent only male boxers, as the women’s National Championships concluded only on Thursday. It will be the first time Indian boxers compete internationally in the new weight categories introduced by World Boxing.

Boxers who finished first and second in each weight category at the National Championships in January travelled to Brazil for a week-long camp.

The reigning national champions, barring Sumit (85kg) who is unfit, will compete in the tournament and will be hoping to bring home at least half a dozen medals.

The team does not include the likes of Nishant Dev and Amit Panghal, both of whom have turned professional, or veteran boxer Shiva Thapa and 2023 World Championship bronze medallist Deepak Bhoria, who had competed in the Paris Olympic qualifiers.

It will be the first time that elite Indian boxers will compete on the international circuit since the Paris Olympics.

Two boxers have got a direct entry in the semifinals and few more need just a win to reach the last-four. Lakshya Chahar will be the only Indian in action on the opening day. He will take on 2023 World Championship silver medallist Wanderley Pereira.