Amit Panghal returns to the Indian team in Bangkok

India has announced its nine-strong team for the upcoming 2^nd World Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event which will be held in Bangkok from May 24.

India bagged four female quotas for the Paris Olympics through the Asian Games, and among them Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti (54kg), Parveen Hooda (57kg) and the Tokyo bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) are all medal favourites this summer.

India’s Ankushita Boro competed at the women’s welterweight (66kg) in the 1^st World Olympic Boxing Qualifying Event but she moved down two categories since the Busto Arsizio competition.

The second Indian female boxer will be Arundhati Choudhary, their previous Youth World Champion who was the Best Asian Junior Boxer of the Year in 2018.

India’s highly decorated male boxer, Amit Panghal is an Asian Games winner, Asian Champion and Commonwealth Games gold medallist but Deepak Bhoria competed at the flyweight (51kg) in the last two occasions. Amit regained his place in the national team and he has strong hope to qualify for his second Olympic Games after Tokyo.

One of the most progressed featherweight (57kg) boxers, Sachin Siwach won the Strandja Memorial Tournament this February and he was also selected to compete in Bangkok. A National silver medallist boxer, Abhinash Jamwal at the light welterweight (63.5kg), replaced the veteran Shiva Thapa, the record-breaking Asian medallist in the national team.

The World Championships bronze medallist Nishant Dev was near to qualify for the Paris Olympics in Busto Arsizio but the strong light middleweight (71kg) boxer have the chance to make that happen in Bangkok. The weight class is seriously busy and the local organizers are expecting a record number of boxers but Dev has the skills to get a spot for Paris.

Abhimanyu Loura replaced Lakshya Chahar at the light heavyweight (80kg), while the Asian Champion experienced Sanjeet (92kg) and the World quarter-finalist Narender Berwal (+92kg) remained in the team to compete in Thailand’s capital.