Tough challenge ahead of Indian pugilists

Doha, Dec 1 (UNI) Akhil Kumar and Vijender will spearhead ten-member Indian Boxing team's challenge in the Asian Games starting here from tomorrow.

Indian Coach Venu has pinned his hopes on Akhil and Vijender but he also realises that it is going to be a very tough challenge for his Pugilists.

The Indians failed to win a medal in the last edition of the Games in Busan and the prospects appear bleak again though Akhil Kumar, who has done reasonaly well in his 54 kg weight category, will be the best medal bet for the Indian contingent but whether he can deliver the goods at this level remains to be seen.

The Indians have fielded a ten-member team for the Games but the Government shot down the list to six on the ground that four of the boxers had no prospects of winning a medal.

The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation decided to bear the cost of the four boxers -- Sanjay Kolte, Diwakar Prasad, Manoj and Dilbagh Singh.

The draw for the various weight categories have not yet been announced but the Indians, who also have a foreign coach in I Fernandes, know that it is going to be tough.

Boxing promises to live up to its billing as one of the top sports at the Games given the rich talent on display that includes many Olympic medalists.

South Korea is the most successful team in Asiad boxing, having won 56 gold medals and 101 in total, but it is the boxing powerhouses from central Asia and Thailand that are expected to dominate here.

Eleven gold medals are at stake in as many different weight categories.

The Thais are pinning their hopes on a rejuvenated Manus Boonjumnong, the Olympic light-welterweight champion, to lead his country to a sweep of golds. Olympic bantamweight silver medallist Worapoj Petchkoom and Olympic middleweight bronze medallist Suriya Prasathinphimai are among a formidable Thai team of eight boxers which also includes flyweight veteran Somjit Jongjohor, who won Thailand's lone gold medal at the last Asian Games four years ago in Busan.

While the lower weight division might be dominated by Thailand, it is Kazakhstan, which dominated the Asian Junior Boxing Championships last month taking seven of the 11 gold on offer, that is also likely to impress.

The Kazakh squad features Bakhityar Artayev, the current Olympic welterweight champion who was also named the tournament's outstanding boxer for his run to the final in Athens. Artayev will face some stiff opposition from Pakistan's Nisar Khan, a boxer whom experts have predicted will push for gold at the Beijing Games.

Other Kazakh medal contenders include 2005 world champions Yerdos Janabergenov (light-heavyweight) and Serik Sapiyev (light-welterweight). Hopes lie with 20-year-old flyweight Mirat Sarsembayev and 2005 world bronze medallist Bakhyt Sarasekbayev, who won light-welterweight bronze in Busan and welterweight gold in the 2005 Asian championships.

Pakistan also has Asghar Ali Shah, the 2005 Asian light-welterweight champion and Busan silver medallist, and Nauman Karim, who won flyweight gold at the 2004 Asian championships.

Pakistan, however received a setback when two of their star campaigners were banned for six months after testing positive for cannabis. Meherullah Lassi, who won a gold medal in the 2002 Asian Games at Busan and Commonwealth silver in March this year, and Faisal Kareem, both failed drug tests during the SAF in Colombo, in August.

Other challengers will come from mostly Central Asian Countries and from Jordan, Syria, Iran and Iraq.

Indian Team : Jitender (51 kg), Akhil Kumar (54 kg), Jay Bhagwan(58 kg), Virender (75 kg), Harpreet Singh (91 kg), V Johnson (91 kg), Sanjay Kolte (48 kg), Diwakar Prasad (57 kg), Manoj (64 KG) and Dilbagh Singh. Chief coAch : M Venu, foreign coach: I Fernandes.

UNI