Indian boxing squad for World Championships

Six-time Asian championships medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), double Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg) and Asian silver medallist Deepak Bhoria (51kg) are some leading names who have made the Indian squad for the World boxing championships to be held in Tashkent from April 30 to May 14.

Even as the selection of Shiva and Hussamuddin was along expected lines, the return of Deepak, who pipped World Championships silver medallist and Commonwealth Games champion Amit Panghal through the three-week-long evaluation process, came as a surprise.

Deepak, who defeated 2016 Olympic and 2019 World champion Uzbek Shakhobidin Zoirov at the 2021 Strandja Memorial tournament, returned to the camp in January last following rehab to fix a shoulder injury. He excelled in the evaluation process to score 731 points against Amit’s 682.

“My injury flared up after the Commonwealth Games trials as I was not sure whether I should continue with the rehab. Again, I did rehab for three months before rejoining the camp,” Deepak, who last competed in an international event in the 2021 World championships, told The Hindu.

While Shiva, who had Olympian and Worlds bronze medallist Manish Kaushik as one of his competitors in 63.5kg, would be keen to add another medal to his 2015 Worlds bronze, Hussamuddin, an Asian bronze medallist, would like to open his account in the elite event.

Mohammad Hussamuddin.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

Olympian and 2019 Asian silver medallist Ashish Chaudhary (80kg), who had lost in the National championships, booked his spot. While Naveen Kumar (92kg) pipped former Asian champion Sanjeet by 12 points, Narender Berwal (+92kg) beat Commonwealth Games medallist Sagar Ahlawat by 20 points.

The Indian team will leave for Tashkent on April 17 to attend a multi-nation training camp before the event. In seven Olympic weight categories — 51kg, 57kg, 63.5kg, 71kg, 80kg, 92kg and +92kg — two boxers each will participate in the camp.

The squad: Govind Sahani (48kg), Deepak Bhoria (51kg), Sachin Siwach Jr. (54kg), Mohammad Hussamuddin (57kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Akash Sangwan (67kg), Nishant Dev (71kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg), Ashish Chaudhary (80kg), Harsh Choudhary (86kg), Naveen Kumar (92kg) and Narender Berwal (92+kg).