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13 Indian Boxers Fight for Olympics Berths This Week: Full Lowdown

13 Indian boxers will be vying for an Olympics berth this coming week in Jordan.

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Boxing
2 min read
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Two-time World Championships bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Asian Championships gold medallist Pooja Rani (75kg) and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Satish Kumar (+91kg) all need to win just one bout at the Asian Olympics qualifiers that start this week to book a berth in the Tokyo Olympics.

World Championships silver medallist Amit Panghal (52kg) and six-time world champion Mary Kom (51kg) will be able to make the trip to Tokyo if they win their first two bouts and reach the semis at the event in Amman, Jordan.

Eight men and five women from India will be aiming to secure Tokyo Olympics berths at the continental event being conducted by the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Boxing Task Force after the sport’s governing body, AIBA, was suspended last year.

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World silver-medallist Amit Panghal (52kg) has been given the top billing in the men's competition while MC Mary Kom (51kg) is seeded second in the women's event.

While Panghal is the lone Indian man to be seeded, Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pooja Rani (75kg) have been seeded second and fourth respectively in the women's competition.

The tournament has 63 quota places on offer and a boxer will be assured for a Tokyo ticket on reaching the semifinals stage.

In some weight categories, depending on the size of the draw, there could be box-offs between losing quarterfinalists to decide the Olympic berths.

The Indian hopes will be spearheaded by Panghal and Mary Kom, both proven and consistent performers on the big stage.

Panghal became the first Indian male boxer to claim a world silver medal in September last year, while Mary Kom collected a record-shattering eighth world medal a month later in the same year.

Expectations will also be high from Borgohain, who has been rising up the ranks with some strong performances, including back-to-back world bronze medals. Also, national champion Simranjit Kaur (60kg) can be considered among the contenders after having beaten veteran Sarita Devi in the trials.

Among the men, Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Manish Kaushik (63kg) is a strong contender to book a Tokyo spot along with Panghal.

Not to forget, Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Vikas Krishan, who will compete in the 69kg category. Krishan had won a gold at the South Asian Games last December, his first amateur competition after a stint in the pro circuit that was cut short by injury.

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Indian Boxing Squad

Men: Amit Panghal (52kg), Gaurav Solanki (57kg), Manish Kaushik (63 kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Sachin Kumar (81kg), Naman Tanwar (91kg), Satish Kumar (+91kg).

Women: M C Mary Kom (51kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (57kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg).

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