‘ Asiad will test boxers’ mettle’

● Indian boxers had fetched five medals — a gold and four bronze — at the 2014 Asiad

High performance director Santiago Nieva believes Indian boxers will get to know their “global standing” at the Asian Games and reckoned the draw could play a crucial role in how the pugilists perform at Jakarta. Seven men and three women pugilists were given an official sendoff by the Boxing Federation of India and Sports India ahead of their departure to for Jakarta.

“Now we will know how good we are. This will be the test and we will know where we stand because some really strong countries will be there,” Nieva said here on Tuesday.

The boxers had fetched five medals — a gold and four bronze — at the 2014 edition in Incheon, South Korea. This was in sharp contrast to their best performance in 2010, when they had bagged two gold, three silver and four bronze medals in all.

“The draw is going to be big and it will be certainly a factor. But we have grown enough to ensure that it is not as big a factor. But this is not going to be that easy,” he said.

“We will know where we stand on the world stage and how we are going to do in the world championships next year,” he added.

Vikas Krishnan, the 2010 Games gold medal winner, was upbeat about his chances in the 75 kg class.

“We cannot ask for better preparation. We began soon after out returned from the Commonwealth Games. We participated in top international tournaments; the best of all was the challenges we faced at the Chemistry Cup in Germany. We have the best possible team and I am confident of a strong finish,” added the Arjuna awardee.