Olympic bronze medallist and Assam’s very own Lovlina Borgohain and two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen have been included in the 20-member Indian boxing contingent for the upcoming World Boxing Championships in Liverpool. The tournament will be held from September 4 to 14 and marks the inaugural edition under the new global governing body, World Boxing.
Meenakshi Hooda (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Sanju Khatri (60kg), Neeraj Phogat (60kg), Sanamacha Chanu (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), Nupur Sheoran (80+ kg)
Jadumani Singh Mandengbam (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Sachin Siwach Jr (60kg), Abhinash Jamwal (65kg), Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg), Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Jugnoo Ahlawat (85kg), Harsh Chaudhary (90kg), Narender Berwal (90+ kg)
The Indian squad was finalized following a rigorous week-long assessment at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala. This edition of the championships will be historic, as it is the first time male and female boxers will compete side-by-side in an Olympic-style format for the title of World Boxing Champion, with 10 weight categories for each gender.
Both Borgohain and Zareen had missed the national championships earlier this year — Zareen due to injury and Borgohain after being left out by her state unit amid internal disputes. However, both returned to action at the Elite Women’s Boxing Tournament held in Hyderabad earlier in July. They were also absent from the World Cup in Astana.
India’s men’s squad features seasoned names such as Asian Games bronze medallist Narender Berwal in the 90+ kg category, along with World Cup champions Hitesh Gulia and Abhinash Jamwal.
