On Friday evening, a 14-member Indian boxing team with 10 boxers and 4 coaches left for Ammam in Jordan for the Asian Boxing Championships scheduled between 1st and 8th of July.
The strong Indian contingent comprises of national champions across all weight categories and has some boxers like Manoj Kumar, laishram Devendro Singh and Shiva Thapa who have represented India in the Olympics.
On the eve of their departure, the boxers practiced at the Karnail Singh stadium, giving final touches to their preparation. “It’s a heady mix of youth and experience. It’s a well balanced team, all the selected boxers are currently top ranked in their respective weight category in the domestic circuit and even the ones that are not very experienced are capable of causing an upset” chief national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said of his team.
The Asian Championships will be held as per Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) Technical Rules & AOB Competition Rules effective on March 11, 2013. The new approved scoring system will be in place, meaning that for the awarding of points the ‘Ten-Point Must System’ will be used. The competition gear for boxers will include head guards. A round will now be of two minutes as against three earlier.
Sandhu believes that change in the scoring structure will help develop the overall game as the focus will be on dominating the rounds.