JOIN USAn eight-member youth men’s boxing team, consisting of six boxers and two coaches, left for A Agalarov Cup – an international youth boxing tournament to be held at Baku, Azerbaijan, from December 19 to 24, in the early hours of Wednesday.
The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) has fielded the team as a part of the boxers’ preparation for Youth Asian Boxing championship to be held next year.
A Silambarsan (52kg) will lead the Indian charge at Baku. The 17-year-old won the gold medal and the best boxer trophy at the recently concluded Indo-Sri Lanka Duel Boxing Championship in Colombo. The two-time Junior National Championships silver medallist is keenly on making his mark in the competition. “We have been training hard at the national camp for the past few months and this competition will provide a good platform to test our skills and prove our mettle,” he said.
Former Sub-Junior National champion Abhishek Beniwal (81kg), a participant of the Youth Olympic Games at Cuba, will also be seen in action along with reigning Youth National champion Aman Indora (56kg).
Chief coach of the Indian team, G Manoharan expected a strong competition. “This exposure tour is a part of our long term development plan for the youth team and will help in our preparations for the Youth Asian Boxing Championship. Competitions like these are a stepping stone in youngsters' career and play a very significant role in the overall development.”
Coach C P Vilasini Bijilal, who is accompanying the team to Baku said, “We are fielding a young team. They haven’t had much exposure at the international level. But the boys have shown a lot of promise in the training camps and I am positive that we will return with a rich medal haul.”