Reigning national champion

Boxing World Qualifiers: Reigning National Champion and 2024 Strandja Memorial winner Sachin Siwach will kick off India’s quest for maximum Paris Olympic berths when he takes on New Zealand’s Alex Mukuka in the men’s 57kg weight category in the 2nd Boxing World Qualifiers in Bangkok on Friday.

India has fielded 10 boxers, seven men and three women, featuring a total of 579 boxers from 133 countries participating in the Qualifying event which will see a total of 51 Olympic quotas up for grabs. To clinch the quota in their respective weight categories, all the boxers have to at least reach the semifinals while Sachin (57kg) and Anushkita Boro (women’s 60kg) will need to finish among the top three competitors in Bangkok.

The 2019 World Championship silver medallist, Amit Panghal (51kg) has been seeded second in his category and is likely to have a quarterfinal faceoff either with Liu Chuang of China or Anvarzhan Khodzhiev of Kyrgyzstan after receiving a first-round bye. Nishant Dev (71kg), who came within one win to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games in the first qualifier in Italy, will kick off his campaign against Amando Bighafa Naae of Guinea-Bissau.