History-making performances, quite a bit of selection drama on the sidelines and some ignominy due to big-ticket dope fails —Indian boxing was all this and much more in an action-packed year dominated by pint-sized dynamo Amit Panghal.
To count the positives, the 23-year-old Panghal fetched India its first ever silver at the men’s world championships, the redoubtable M C Mary Kom was mostly in top form and medals poured in internationally courtesy a deep talent pool.
In the professional circuit, Vijender Singh remained unbeaten, still looking for an opponent who can stand up to the raw power of his punches.
On the downside, a flip-flop selection policy led to six-time world champion Mary Kom being dragged into an unsavoury controversy, and the accomplished duo of Neeraj Phogat (women’s camp) and Sumit Sangwan (men’s camp) flunked dope tests, sending down shockwaves within the fraternity.
For most part, Indian boxing had lots to celebrate and it started with the season-opening Strandja Memorial, one of Europe’s oldest and most competitive tournaments.
Panghal’s 2019 Gold rush began in the tournament, which was also his last competition in the 49kg category.
Former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen and Meena Kumari Devi became the first set of Indian women boxers to finish on top at the same event. Zareen later went on to hit the headlines by vociferously raising the demand for a trial against Mary Kom.
Panghal moved up to 52kg in March and though he sounded a bit nervous about the shift, the results told a different story. He grabbed a gold immediately, at the Asian Championships in April, to assert his supremacy in the new division.
Pooja Rani, a boxer who felt shy about wearing gloves at the start of her career, ensured that women too went home with a Gold with her best ever performance at the event. Mary Kom gave it a miss to prepare herself for the world championships.