Asian Boxing Championships 2022: Lovlina Borgohain, Shiva Thapa to lead depleted India

Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain and world championships bronze winner Shiva Thapa will lead the 25-member Indian team at the Asian Boxing Championships 2022 at Amman, Jordan next month. Both pugilists won their respective trials at the NIS Patiala last week to make the team.

The Asian Championships will be held from October 30 to November 12. World champion Nikhat Zareen, along with fellow Commonwealth Games gold medallists Amit Panghal and Nitu Ghanghas, will give the continental showpiece a miss.

While Nikhat Zareen and Amit Panghal opted to take a break after a busy season, Nitu Ghanghas is nursing a shoulder injury. Commonwealth Games 2022 medallists Rohit Tokas and Sagar Ahlawat also skipped the trials.

Shiva Thapa, who will compete in the men’s 63.5kg, is India’s most successful male boxer at the Asian championships with five medals. The two-time Olympian won gold in 2013, bronze in 2015 and 2019, and silver in 2017 and 2021.

Lovlina Borgohain, meanwhile, will look to overturn her disappointing 2022 season. The Olympic medallist failed to clinch a medal at both world championships and the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

Borgohain, who returned with a bronze medal from the last edition, will be competing in the 75kg weight division instead of her pet 69/70kg as the next Olympics will not feature her welterweight 69kg category.

Besides Lovlina Borgohain, world championship bronze medallist Parveen Hooda (63kg) and Youth World Boxing champion Alfiya Pathan are in the women's team.

Two-time Commonwealth bronze medallist Mohammad Hussamuddin (men’s 57kg) also made the squad. 

Overall, 13 men and 12 women have been selected for the Indian squad for the Asian boxing championships. 

At the last edition of the continental meet, India won 15 medals, including two gold, five silver, and eight bronze. Pooja Rani (women’s 75kg) and Sanjeet Kumar (men’s 91kg) won the gold medals.

Asian Boxing Championships 2022 Amman: Indian squad

Men: Govind Sahani (48kg), Sparsh Kumar (51kg), Sachin (54kg), Md. Hussamuddin (57kg), Etash Khan (60kg), Shiva Thapa (63.5kg), Amit Kumar (67kg), Sachin (71kg), Sumit (75kg), Lakshya (80kg), Kapil (86kg), Naveen (92kg), Narender (+92kg).

Women: Monika (48kg), Savita (50kg), Minakshi (52kg), Sakshi (54kg), Preeti (57kg), Simranjit (60kg), Parveen (63kg), Ankushita Boro (66kg), Pooja (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Saweety (81kg), Alfiya Pathan (+81kg).