Boxers could leave early for Istanbul ahead of Worlds test

Express News Service

CHENNAI:  The countdown has begun for Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and rest of the elite women boxers from the country.

With the IBA Women’s World Championships scheduled to commence on May 8, the women boxers are gearing up for the first big assignment of the season.

With the event in mind, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the governing body of the sport in the country, is hopeful of sending the participants well in advance for a training camp in Istanbul, Turkey, where the aforementioned meet will be held.

At present, the event-bound boxers are camping in New Delhi under the close watch of head coach Bhaskar Bhatt and other coaches. The BFI is hopeful of getting approval from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) soon.

“They’ll be going for a training camp in Istanbul. Two days after the camp is over, the event will begin. It’s confirmed from our side, but we need to get official confirmation from SAI,” a BFI official said.

A total of 13 boxers will be travelling for the event. Some of the senior members of the team include Lovlina (70kg) and Pooja Rani (81kg). A camp in Istanbul can go a long way in helping the boxers as they can get acclimated to conditions.

They may also get the chance to spar with pugilists from other nations, who travel in advance with similar goals.

The BFI official also said that they’re actively in the process of finding a foreign coach for the women’s team.

It is learnt that around 15 candidates applied. It’s still an ongoing process and it is learnt that some elite coaches, who have helped boxers win medals at top events, are in the running.