Senior Men's Boxing Nationals to start tomorrow

The big names would be missing in action but more than 300 boxers would be vying for the top honours when the 60th National Championships are held here from tomorrow after a gap of more than two years.
The likes of former Olympic bronze-medallist Vijender Singh (75kg), reigning Asian champion Shiva Thapa (52kg) and senior pro Akhil Kumar (60kg) have decided to skip the National Championships.
But it is not much of a surprise given that the event mostly features the up and coming.
The tournament is significant for the fact that it is the first edition to be held after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) ended its ban on India, recognising Boxing India as the new body to run the sport in the country.

According to a Boxing India statement, 324 Boxers from 34 teams comprising of states/UT's and boards will converge here for the tournament, which will also double up as a selection trial for the National Games starting January 31 in Kerala.
40 medals will be at stake in the event which will culminate on January 14.

"There is no dearth of talent in our country, we have a lot of young boxers who have come up the ranks and will be looking to make an impact at the national stage," BI President Sandeep Jajodia said.
"This tournament will be very significant in terms of talent scouting, it helps us identify boxers and strengthen our bank. Moreover it is also an opportunity for boxers to represent their state and board teams and give something back to their home team," he added.

BI Secretary General Jay Kowli said the tournament will help identify stars of the future.
"The senior nationals, have over the years, worked as an instrumental cog in identifying talent. We now intend to assume a greater role in strengthening the domestic level of the sport through national tournaments in order to realise our objective for Rio 2016," he said.