Indian boxers floored by Chinese reception

Back from Guiyang City after an impressive haul of five medals -- a silver and four bronze, the boxers feel having a top-class event of this kind in India would help produce more Vijender Singhs.

Sunil Kumar, who gave a mighty scare to Olympic champion Zou Shiming before settling for a silver in the fly weight (51kg), felt having a tournament like this in India would instill confidence in the country's pugilists besides making the sport popular.

"It was fantastic. They conducted the tournament so well despite the fact that it was being held in a school gymnasium," the 21-year-old Haryana boxer, who was competing for the first time in over a year, said.

His left arm was swollen after a tough semifinal bout but Sunil still managed to give Shiming, a two-time world champion, a good fight."I gave it my all and people there appreciated me for that. It felt good when the entire Chinese team and coaching staff came up and congratulated us for the performance," he said.

Chhote Lal Yadav, who won a bronze in the feather weight (57kg) division, said, "We may not have clinched a gold there but we were appreciated for our performance. It was a wonderful experience to compete in a tournament which featured Olympic and world champions.

"If a tournament like this comes to India, it will do wonders to our boxers' confidence," added another bronze medallist Jasveer Singh (81kg).The Indian Boxing Federation is planning to bring a two-star or three-tar event to India in the near future.