JULLANG, 10 Jul: India’s junior boxing head coach Vinod Kumar, who is in Itanagar to spot young talents during the 5th Junior Boys’ National Boxing Championship being held here, said that Indian boxers have improved vastly.
Kumar, who has been associated with coaching young boxers for a long time, said that the future of Indian boxing is bright.
“We have very talented youngsters coming up these days. The level of competition has increased a lot. As a result, the overall performance has improved,” said Kumar.
Kumar will also select the Indian junior team for the next Asian Championship from this event. The gold medallists will be picked for the Indian team.
“I have great hope for these boys. They have been fighting so well, and once they graduate to the senior level, they will improve a lot,” he added.
On the Asian Games, Kumar said that “Indian pugilists will win a good number of medals in this edition, which starts in Hangzhou in September.”
“We have a very good team with Lovlina (Borgohain), Nikhat (Zareen), Preeti and all. So, I’m hopeful of good number of medal hauls. Even the men’s team is comprised of Shiva (Thapa) and others who are capable of beating any boxer in Asia in their weight categories,” he added.
Kumar also analysed that Indian boxers have grown in confidence over the years. “Indian boys and girls have started to fight well. If you observe closely, many of them have won their bouts and even when they lost, they gave a good fight. So, it’s a great sign. I think it will improve in the days to come,” he said.
Kumar expressed appreciation for the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for letting Itanagar host the championship this year.
“It’s a very good thing that the BFI has allotted Itanagar to conduct this event. The arrangements have been great. Boxing should spread to every nook and corner of the country,” he said.
With 367 participants representing 35 states and union territories, the 5th Junior Boys’ National Boxing Championship is being held at the Don Bosco College ground here.
The championship, which started on Sunday, will conclude on 14 July.
