World Boxing Championship | Shiva Thapa fails to make it to Indian squad

India have selected a strong eight-member team for the World Boxing Championship, a prestigious event which was also the Olympics qualifying event before. Amit Panghal got a direct entry into the team in the 52kg category after his brilliant show at the Asian Championships where he had bagged a gold medal.

On the other hand, Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Manish Kaushik defeated Shiva Thapa by a split verdict in the National Trails in the newly-formed 63 kg to get a place for the world event. Kavinder Singh Bisht (57kg), Duryodhan Singh Negi (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Brijesh Yadav (81kg), Sanjeet (91kg), and Satish Kumar (+91kg) are the other Indian boxers in the eight-man squad for the prestigious event.

“This was a huge confidence-boosting win for me after losing to Shiva in the India Open final. I had been working hard on my stance and footwork since the loss and I am glad it paid off. I am looking forward to giving my best at the World Championships,” Manish told PTI.

Bisht, in the 57kg category, had a tough challenge to face in the form of Mohammed Hussamuddin. However, he managed to overcome the challenge and win the bout in a split verdict to book his berth for the Games.

“I lost out on a golden opportunity to win a medal the last time. This time I would like to make amends and am targeting nothing less than a gold,” said Bisht.