Tough road ahead for new group

With the International Boxing Association ( Aiba) approving the application of Boxing India ( The Bout outside the Ring) as the provisional new member of Aiba for India, there is fresh hope for the boxing community in the country, but the new group will be required to pull many strings before full membership is granted.

The group bearing a similar name as that of the one floated by former secretary general P. K. M. Muralidharan Raja was chosen over others after Aiba found the proposed initiatives to be ‘ professional and ethical.’

While Aiba did not disclose the group members at the time of the announcement, it was later revealed that two prominent spon- sors of the sport and a veteran technical official Jay Kowli were core members of the group. Sandeep Jajodia, CMD of Monnet Ispat Limited, who has been a long- time sponsor for Indian boxing and Udit Sheth owner of the WSB India franchise, joined hands to resurrect the crumbling state of the sport in the country.

However, despite the initial nod the group faces a huge challenge to conduct fresh elections and appoint a new federation which again needs to be approved by Aiba. The first task would be to call a general assembly to present their vision and declare the election date.

The group will now need to reach out to as many state associations as possible and seek their support. When Raja’s faction sent their official proposal on March 6 to Aiba, it claimed support of 23 units and boards out of the total 35 units affiliated to IABF apart from having Vijender Singh on their athletes’ commission.

With the Aiba granting provisional representation, some state groups have decided to pledge their support but many are still cautious. “It is a welcome move by Aiba to end the impasse. We are still awaiting details of the group members and the vision they have for Indian boxing,” said a state official.