Vikas, Shiva in team for Thailand International boxing tourney

NEW DELHI: World Championship bronze medallists Vikas Krishan (75kg) and Shiva Thapa (60kg) are among the seven Indian boxers selected for the Thailand International Tournament to be held in Bangkok from April 1.

Vikas, a 2011 World Championships bronze-winner, would be competing in his first tournament after the quarter-final loss in last year’s Rio Olympics.

The 24-year-old, who got the best boxer award at the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) annual gala last year, has recently joined the national camp after returning from the USA.

The former Asian Games gold medallist had been training there for the last three months. He has also dropped hints of turning professional by the end of this year.

Former Asian champion Shiva, meanwhile, is continuing a transition to his new weight category after going up from the bantamweight (56kg) division in December last year.

The change has fetched him mixed results so far. The Assamese, who won a bronze in the 2015 World Championships, won the National Championships but lost a closely fought opening contest in the 68th Strandja Memorial Tournament in Bulgaria last month.

Among others, Commonwealth Games silver medallist L Devendro Singh (52kg) will be making his international debut in his new weight category.

The Manipuri, also an Asian Championships silver medallist, was a light flyweight 49kg regular before making the jump last year.

Also there in the team is K Shyam Kumar (49kg), who had won a gold medal in the 2015 edition of the tournament, which was previously called the King’s Cup.

Another former tournament medallist making the squad is Rohit Tokas (64kg). Rohit, who won a silver medal at the Nationals last year, had settled for a bronze in the 2015 edition.

The bantamweight division will feature Mohamed Hussamuddin, who won a silver medal at the tournament in Bulgaria last month.

Veteran Manoj Kumar, a former Commonwealth Games gold medallist, has been picked in the welterweight 69kg category. Manoj had lost in the quarter-final of the Strandja Memorial.

The Thailand International Tournament will be held from April 1 to 7 and features competition in only seven categories instead of the traditional 10.