Amit Panghal among several top boxers to skip Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament
Boxer Amit Panghal will be among five Indian male Olympians to skip the upcoming Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament. The 2019 silver medalist will sit out the tournament, scheduled to be held from February 19-28.
The news was informed by a senior coach in the men’s coaching camp in Patiala. He said:
“Indian male boxers who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held last year took a break from practice. They recently joined the national camp in Patiala. Since boxers like Panghal are unfit, none of them are interested in competing in the boxing tournament starting next weekend in Europe.”
The majority of boxers selected for the Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament are those who have won national titles in their respective weight categories.
“Since majority of experienced boxers are yet to regain their fitness, the Bulgarian boxing tournament will give chance to boxers on fringes to showcase their potential in the season’s opening competition,” the national coach said.
Other Indian boxers to have withdrawn this year
Earlier in January, the BFI withdrew its national U22 boxing squad from the continental tournament. They did so after several male boxers tested positive for Covid-19 at the national camp in Patiala.
The women’s boxing camp is being held here at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Sports Complex. The team is expected to leave for Bulgaria on February 17.
Meanwhile, the BFI has recommended the name of Swedish boxing expert Santiago Nieva for the national coaching camp. Nieva’s name has been approved by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). He is expected to join the national camp shortly as a high-performance director.
Team:
Men: Govid Saini (48kg), Ankit (51kg), Rajpinder Singh (54kg), Rohit Mor (57kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Dalvir Singh (63kg), Akash (67kg), Rohit Tokas (70kg), Sumit (75kg), Sachin Kumar (81kg), Lakshya Chahar (86kg), Gaurav Chauhan (91kg) and Narender (plus 91kg).
Women: Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Nikhat Zareen (52kg), Shiksha (54kg) Sonia Lather (57kg), Meena Rani (60kg), Parveen (63kg), Anjali Tushar (66kg), Arundhati Chaudhary (70kg), Saweety (75kg), Pooja Rani (81kg) and Nandini (plus 81kg).
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