Shiva Thapa, chasing Asian Games spot, to take part in World Series Boxing
April 21, 2018, Noida
World bronze medallist Shiva Thapa will make a long-awaited comeback in the World Series of Boxing (WSB). In the 2014 edition, he represented USA Knockouts while he is turning out for Indian Tigers in this edition, promoted by Boxing Federation of India (BFI).
The two-day competition starting in Noida on Saturday will also have Russia’s Patriot Boxing team and China Dragons. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) started WSB in 2008 and announced it would also be part of the Olympics qualifying round.
After not being selected for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, the 60kg boxer says he is ready to showcase his mettle. “WSB will be good platform to earn some valuable points in the buildup to the Asian Games (Jakarta, Aug 18-Sept 2). A good performance will certainly help me inch closer to national team selection,” he said on the eve of the matches.
Besides Shiva, Mandeep Jangra (75kg) is also in the fray, having narrowly missed a CWG spot. Mandeep too is hungry to prove himself. “I’m hoping it will be a good outing for me,” he said.
Competition is being organised in five weight divisions, with bouts comprising five rounds of three minutes each.
For Asian Games, BFI will evaluate performances over a period before selecting the team. “WSB is important competition as all the participants will be under observation,” said India coach and high performance director, Santiago Nieva.
The foreign expert said the India squad’s planned exposure trip to the US in May could be shifted to Europe if there were visa issues. “Some boxers are yet get visas. In case there is an issue, we will not delay the conditioning camp but change the venue.”
