Victory in any part of god’s green earth is special, but, the urge to get the better of a former coloniser on their home turf has an irresistible allure.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia demonstrated that Indians can count on the supply of medals from the boxing contingent as the unit landed on the Indian shores with 9 medals from the 12 boxers that took the flight to Gold Coast.
Four years on and the boxing squadron looks well poised to bring home another flurry of medals back home when they return to Indian territory post the completion of the Birmingham CWG.
Indians around the globe would pin their hopes on certain athletes to bring glory to the nation on English soil, whose former colonies compete in the Friendly Games.
Nikhat Zareen:
Nikhat Zareen, the 26-year-old boxer from Nizamabad, caught everyone’s attention recently on the back of her exploits at the IBA World Boxing Championships 2022 held in Istanbul.
The orthodox boxer from Telangana punched her way to the gold medal in Turkey just as she had done at the prestigious Strandja Memorial in Sofia, Bulgaria earlier in the year.
The flyweight earned the respect of a nation with her never say die attitude that has carried her through multiple testing phases in her nascent career. This is the same pugilists who overcame a serious shoulder injury back in 2017 to reach the summit of the flyweight boxing world.
Her off-ring resilience empowered her struggle to the top after being soundly beaten by the legendary Indian boxer MC Mary Kom, when the young fighter dared to challenge the veteran for a spot on the Tokyo Olympics roster.
Zareen might have lost the match on the day, and probably had a difficult time dealing with the aftermath of the embarrassing defeat, but she worked on her deficiencies and did not let the media frenzy engulf her as she survived to fight another day. The fire that was ignited on that day carried her through some tough bouts en route to her crowning moment in Istanbul.
The partisan Indian supporters around the world, and specifically in England, will most definitely rally behind the young boxer to make it to the business end of the Birmingham Games.
Lovlina Boroghain:
Lovlina Boroghain, the fiery, orthodox boxer from Golaghat, who became the first Assamese female to represent India at the Olympics, will look for redemption in the form of a medal after her disappointing showing in the 2018 edition of the CWG held at Gold Coast, Australia.
A protege of coach Padum Boro, who was inspired by the great Mohammed Ali to take up boxing, brought glory to India at the Tokyo Olympic Games as she clinched the bronze medal in the welterweight category.
A world championship bronze winner in the years 2018 and 2019 shifted her focus from Muay Thai to boxing in the year 2012 and there has been no looking back for her. She also claimed the bronze medal Asian Championships in 2017.
The grit and determination of the Assamese boxer who wears her heart on her sleeves is sure to be backed by the diaspora of millions of Indians around the globe and back at home as she embarks on her quest for a medallion in England.
The orthodox boxer, who became only the second Indian woman to bag a bronze in the Olympics, will look to break the jinx of her semi-final exits to upgrade her collection of medals at Birmingham.
Amit Panghal:
Amit Panghal, the first Indian male to receive a silver medal at the World Championships when he reached the final of the 2019 edition of the flyweight event in Russia, hails from Rohtak in Haryana.
He has a proven history of claiming the podium spots in the Commonwealth Games too as evidenced by his light flyweight Silver from the GoldCoast CWG in 2018.
Panghal’s run at the Tokyo Olympics did not go to plan as he lost to Colombian Yuberjen Martinez Rivas in the round of 16, and hence might approach the upcoming 2022 CWG in Birmingham with the motive of vindication running at the back of his head.
A gold medallist at the Asian Games in 2018, added another Silver medal to his burgeoning World Championship tally with a second-place finish in Dubai 2021.
His experience at the friendly games from the 2018 edition is sure to guide him on his quest for another Commonwealth medal, maybe this time in a different colour.
Indian Boxing Contingent for Birmingham CWG 2022: Weight Category and Schedule
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