Amit Panghal heads Indian men's team at Asian Boxing Championships

The tournament is set to take place in Dubai after it was shifted from New Delhi owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A full-strength Indian contingent, headed by defending Amit Panghal is all set to participate at the upcoming 2021 ASBC Asian Boxing Championships. BFI and UAE Boxing Federation will jointly host the event. The matches will kick off from May 24 and go on till June 1 in Dubai.

The prevailing travel ban had created doubts over the participation of Indians in the championships. However, BFI has ensured its players do not miss the opportunity of participating in the prestigious event. They have now announced the men’s side with defending champion Amit Panghal being the most noteworthy name. They had earlier announced the women's side spearheaded by Mary Kom. All the players alongside coaches and support staff are already in the bio-secure bubble.

"We are thankful to all concerned authorities who have helped us to secure the team’s travel to Dubai. This is a crucial competition for the our Olympics preparations and hence extremely important” BFI President Ajay Singh said.

The Asian Championships will be the first boxing tournament to take off in Asia. The tournament was to take place in New Delhi. However international travel restrictions forced the tournament to move to Dubai. The Indian team will reach Dubai on May 22 and will thereafter get visas on their arrival. All the top players and Olympic-bound boxers are participating in the tournament.

Indian squad:(Men): Vinod Tanwar (49kg), Amit Panghal (52kg), Mohammad Hussamuddin (56kg), Varinder Singh (60kg), Shiva Thapa (64kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg), Sanjeet (91kg) and Narender (+91kg).

(Women): Monika (48kg), MC Mary Kom (51kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jasmine (57kg), Simranjeet Kaur (60kg), Lalbuatsaihi (64kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), Saweety (81kg) and Anupama (+81kg).

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