Youth boxers set for Euro meet ahead of Worlds assignment

CHENNAI: After a lull since last summer, youth boxers from India are likely to be a busy lot in the coming days. The International Boxing Association (AIBA), on January 26, confirmed that the Youth Men's and Women's World Championships will be staged in Poland in April.

With the Worlds on the horizon, the youth boxers in the country, who have been training in Rohtak since late last year, are set to travel to Montenegro for an international tournament in mid-February. This exposure tour could help them gauge where they stand.

A total of 20 boxers (10 men & women each), along with coaches and support staff, are expected to be part of the International Tournament Adriatic Pearl (February 16-22) in Budva. Trials had been conducted recently and the No 1 boxers from each weight category have been picked. The coaches are stoked to get this opportunity and are hopeful of a good show ahead of the Worlds. "Boxers have done well in recent years. Our preparations have been going smoothly. Let's see how far they can go this time around," Bhasker Bhatt, head coach of youth women, said.

"We have girls from five or six weight categories, who we feel can put up a strong show during the World Championships. We feel they have the potential to bag gold," he added.

Bhatt's positivity stems from the fact that the women boxers have been heavy-hitters at the top level in recent years. Having excelled at the youth level, they have gone on to the thrive at the elite level. Even during the lockdown, Bhasker and the other coaches had conducted online classes for the youngsters.

"That (online classes) enabled the boxers to maintain fitness, mental and physical. I can't say the fitness was top-notch, but we resumed (camp) in good condition. Even after joining the camp, they were undergoing online classes while in quarantine. Having begun camp from October, now we feel they are in solid shape," Bhatt noted.

Gitika (48 kg) is a talent to watch out for, according to the coach. And there are several other international medallists in the team. Despite virtual classes, the coaches have faced an uphill task to bring the pugilists back to top shape. As part of measures during the pandemic, the boxers were initially barred from sparring. That naturally meant the pugilists were unable to express themselves freely and be 100 per cent.

"It was tough during the pandemic. To be honest, we are yet to be 100 per cent. Sparring during training was not possible earlier so that has affected our boxers' game. Most of the boxers' performance was down, but we were confident that we could bring it up through proper training," Abhishek Malviya, head coach of youth men, said.

Malviya's mantra has been to carry training in a systematic manner and rely on patience.

"Gradually, we have started training in a systematic manner. We don't want to put undue load at once to the boxers. In this upcoming competition, we'll get a fair idea on where we stand."

The men had last taken part in an international meet at Vilnius, Lithuania in March last year. A couple of participants — Harsh Chaudhary (81 kg) and Jugnoo (+91 kg) — from that tour will be part of this upcoming meet.