India's boxing medal hopes at the Paris Games will hinge on how its women pugilists perform, feels the country's lone Olympic medal-winning male boxer Vijender Singh, who expects the Nikhat Zareen-led squad to fetch at least two podium finishes.
Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Tokyo bronze-winner Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) make up the Indian women's squad, while Amit Panghal (51kg) and debutant Nishant Dev (71kg) are the two male boxers to have qualified for Paris.
In a free-wheeling interview to PTI editors at its headquarters, the 38-year-old Vijender, who won a bronze in the 2008 Beijing Games, said he expects the women to do well.
"I haven't really followed the fortunes of the male boxers but whatever I have read about women boxers has been encouraging. The girls will do well, I hope we get one or two medals. It could be a silver or may be even a gold," Vijender, who is also a BJP leader, said.
"It might be that they (the women boxers) will change the colour of the medals," he added.
Besides Vijender, only two other Indian boxers -- MC Mary Kom (London 2012) and Borgohain (Tokyo 2021) -- have won bronze medals at the Olympics but none from the country has managed to reach the final and fight for gold.
The women boxers have done exceedingly well in the run-up to the Games with Zareen and Borgohain becoming world champions in 2023 and Pawar and Lamoboria picking up bronze medals at the Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games.
The men, on the other hand, have been largely underwhelming, barring Dev, who won a bronze medal at last year's world championship to qualify for the Paris Games.
"There are less male boxers this time. Earlier we used to have five to six but this time only two are going," Vijender, who is also India's first male world championship medallist, said.
The highest number of Indian male boxers to make the Olympic cut was seven, which happened in the 2012 edition. In the 2008 Games, a then record of five pugilists had travelled to the main event after a stunningly good qualifying campaign.
"I don't know why the standards have fallen, may be the boxers themselves would be better-placed to explain what's lacking," he said.
The strapping six-footer from Haryana, who ended his amateur career as a three-time Olympian before turning professional in 2015, also spoke about the mental aspect of competing at an event like the Olympics.
"There is a battle you fight outside and then there is a battle you fight with yourself. That battle involves training your mind to believe that you are the best, become fearless," he explained.
"Boxing is a lonely sport, there is nobody you can turn to and say that 'I am scared' when you are walking out to fight. So, you have to tell yourself to be confident, condition yourself. Everyone feels scared but you have to tell yourself that you are the best," he said.
I will run for BFI President if opportunity arises
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Vijender, who has dabbled in acting, reality TV and politics, said he is open to being a sports administrator and would love to contest the Boxing Federation Of India (BFI) elections should the opportunity arise.
"If I get an opportunity to become the president of the Boxing Federation of India I will take it. I want to fight, I want our Indian boxers to do well, do better."
Vijender said he has a lot to offer to the youngsters in the sport.
"I can share the experience of my first Olympics with those who are competing in their maiden Games. I can tell them 'yes I also faced the same things' and advise them on things to do and not to do," he said.
"When I get the time to fight for the BFI president's post I will love to do that. If someone wants my help, I am there too," he added.
