National boxing will help to spot new faces: Sandhu

Hyderabad: It's a fight for the coveted national boxing title as the 59th edition of the Sahara Men’s National Boxing Championship returns to the familiar city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The tournament, considered to be a bastion of nation's best and brightest talent, will once again witness boxers of the country vying for title of National Champion.

Over 300 boxers from 35 State and Board teams will battle it out in this edition of the premiere national event. 40 medals will be at stake in the contest that commenced from 30th October and will go on till 4th November. The Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium will be the venue for the five day affair.

Apart from providing a perfect platform for champions to prove their mettle and for emerging boxers to display their talent, the annual competition has more to it. The championship will also serve as a selection ground to shortlist players constituting the core group to be trained for the AIBA World Championships in 2013 and other mega events that follow.

The National Championships will be a critical piece of qualification process for boxers looking to cement a place in the national training camp that begins on the 15 November 2012, in NIS Patiala, Punjab. The top two pugilists in each weight category will be guaranteed a spot, whereas three more national camp berths will be up for grabs for outstanding performances.

Citing the national camp as a substantial incentive for boxers, Head National Coach Gurbux Singh Sandhu described the 2012 Sahara National Boxing Championships as effectively being a melting pot of boxing talent with an abundance of opportunities for national coaches to identify talent.

“There is no dearth of talent in our country, we have a lot of young boxers who have come up the ranks and will be looking to make an impact at the national stage. This tournament will be very significant in terms of talent scouting, it helps us identify boxers and strengthen our bank. Moreover it is also an opportunity for boxers to represent their state and board teams and give something back to their home team,” said Sandhu.