Devendro, Manoj in boxing team for Cyprus

New Delhi, May 14: Rising star London Olympics quarter finalist L Devendro Singh who hails from Manipur are the prominent faces in an inexperienced 10-member Indian boxing team which left today to compete in the FXTM International Limassol Boxing Cup in Cyprus from May 16 to 19

Close to 100 boxers from 15 countries are expected to participate in the event, where India has sent a team for the first time.

The diminutive Devendro (49kg), who impressed many by reaching the Olympic quarterfinals with some lion-hearted performances, also returns to competitive action after almost a year.

"No tournament is easy, so, we can't think about draws and the level of competition. We just have to focus on what we can do the best of our ability," he said.

The men’s boxing team is slated to take part in two tournaments this month. A 12 member Indian team consisting of nine boxers and two coaches left the capital city of New Delhi on Monday (13 May 2013) to partake in Khabarovsk International Competition in Khabarovsk, Russian, scheduled to be held from 15 – 20 May, 2013. Another set of ten boxers and two coaches will leave for Cyprus early on Wednesday (15 May 2013) for the Invitation FXTM International Limassol Boxing Cup being held in Limassol, Cyprus from 15-20 May, 2013. India was expected to take part in Cardova Cardin, a training-cum-competition program at Havana, Cuba from May 27 – June 17, 2013; however the team would not be travelling to Cuba as the tour has not been sanctioned by AIBA.

The current men’s national training camp at Patiala began on 15 Mar 2013 will go on till 9 June 2013 and then break for couple of days before it resumes and carries on till October. The camp constitutes of five boxers in each of the 10 weight categories along with 9 coaches and 5 support staff members.

Participation in international events is best way to prepare our boxers for the upcoming Asian Championships and the World Championships later in the year, it also helps us assess our top pugilists. Moreover these competitions assume added importance considering the new changes brought about into the sport by AIBA and will be a big litmus test for us as well as all the other participating nations.

National coach GS Sandhu also believes these exposure tours will be instrumental in the team’s preparation for the Asian Championships and the World Championships.

He stated, “These tournaments will be our first international competitions since the 2012 London Olympics and will play a significant role in getting our boys back into in competitive rhythm. They will work as build-up contests for the mega events where we want our boxers to peak and perform up to their potential”.

He also reiterated on the importance of such competitions in building-up the confidence of an athletes. “A good performance in such events is always a big boost and finds favour for the boxers in making the cut for major championships, quite literally at times. In a scenario where two boxers of the same weight category perform at par in the selection trials, their recent international achievements are taken into consideration in making the choice”, explained the veteran coach.

AIBA, the international governing body recently introduced several rule changes for the sport. The removal of headgear and the introduction of the 10-point must scoring system are two significant modifications in the structure of the Olympic boxing along with a few other alterations. The changes in the rules have indeed prompted the Indian coaches and trainers to rethink their competitive strategies, as it would have done to others around the world. Coach Sandhu although appreciative of the efforts put in by AIBA in the overall development of the noble sport, believes it remains to be seen how the boxers adapt to these changes.

However the Dronacharya Awardee is making sure the Indian pugilists are not lacking in any way when it comes to their preparation.

He said, “We have done our homework. Our training has been of a very high standard; the last few months we have been practicing as per the new scoring system. The focus at the camp has been on being more aggressive, with clean and controlled attacks”. Keeping in mind the exclusion of head guards from Olympic boxing, the experienced coach, as of now, has made wearing them a voluntary option and he happily reports that 70 – 80% of the boxers at the camp are choosing not to wear them.