• IBA Men's World Boxing C'Ship: Ace Boxer Shiva Thapa and Deepak Bhoria to lead Indian contingent in Uzbekistan

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    IBA Men's World Boxing C'Ship: Ace Boxer Shiva Thapa and Deepak Bhoria to lead Indian contingent in Uzbekistan

    Shiva Thapa, who achieved a bronze medal at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, in 2015, will compete in the...


    Digital Desk: The Indian team is all set to compete at the upcoming IBA Men's World Boxing Championships from April 30 to May 14 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, under the supervision of six-time Asian Championship medalist Shiva Thapa and 2019 Asian Championship silver medalist Deepak Bhoria.javascript:nicTemp();


    Notably, Shiva Thapa, who earned a bronze medal at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, in 2015, will compete in the 63.5 kg weight class for Nepal. 


    Meanwhile, in the 51kg Flyweight category, Deepak Bhoria, who has emerged as one of the most improved and evolved boxers in recent times, will carry the country's expectations. 


    Mohammad Hussamuddin, a seasoned boxer and 2022 Asian Championships bronze medalist, will participate in the extremely challenging 57 kg category at the main event. Ashish Chaudhary, a Tokyo Olympian and 2019 Asian Championships silver medalist, will also represent India at the renowned tournament for the second time.


    The Tashkent championships have attracted around 640 boxers from 104 countries, with seven defending World Champions set to compete, including France's Sofiane Oumiha, Japan's Tomoya Tsuboi and Sewonrets Okazawa, Azerbaijan's Loren Alfonso, Kazakhstan's Saken Bibossinov, Cuba's Yoenlis Hernandez Martinez and Julio La Cruz.


    The president of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), Ajay Singh, expressed faith in the Indian team, saying, "Men's team has been working incredibly hard and I wish them all the best. I am convinced that each of them will do our country proud. We recently witnessed one of the finest medal hauls in history by Indian women boxers at the Delhi World Championship, and I believe our lads can do us proud once again at the IBA Men's World Boxing Championships."


    However, this time young boxers like Varinder Singh in (60kg), Akash Sangwan in (67kg), Nishant Dev in (71kg), and Sumit Kundu in (75kg), who won gold in the National Championships earlier this year, will compete for India in their respective weight classes. The four previously represented the country in the World Championships in 2021 and will attempt to shine a spotlight on their skills to be among the gold winners this time. 


    What's new to see in this championship in team India:


    Harsh Choudhary, from Rajasthan, will compete in the 86 kg weight class at the World Championships for the first time. National champions Naveen Kumar and Narender Berwal will participate in the 92kg and 92+kg weight classes, respectively. The gold medalists will receive USD 200,000, the silver medalists will receive USD 100,000, and both bronze medalists will receive USD 50,000 each.   


    Before the World Championships, the Indian squad will go to Tashkent for an inter-training camp. The training camp will feature two boxers from each of the seven Olympic weight categories, which are 51kg, 57kg, 63.5kg, 71kg, 80kg, 92kg, and 92+kg respectively.



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    It is to be mentioned that the Indian team will be aiming to improve on their recent international success and return from the World Championships with a significant medal haul.