Study tour for boxers

In fact,says 18-year-old Devendro,he was actually surprised at being included in the Indian squad. “Till last week I didn’t know I would be going for the tournament and thought Nanao Singh would go. I am still recovering from a shoulder injury and when I punch repeatedly,it hurts a little from time to time,” he says.

Coach Gurbax Sandhu,too,believes the tournament is part of the boxers’ build-up for the Olympics. “Devendro,who has qualified for the Olympics,will get much-needed practice while those who haven’t will get the exposure for future,” Sandhu said,adding he doesn’t want to burden Devendro with too much expectation.

“He must not exert himself too much at the start of the year else he will peak before the Olympics,” he says,but Devendro has no intentions of keeping to his coach’s words. “While I understand what coach Sandhu means,every boxer goes into a tournament to win,” he says simply.

However Devendro,whose aggressive punching skills have impressed many,does admit that he has been asked to use this particular tournament to iron out his weaknesses. While his style helped him book an Olympic spot with a quarterfinal finish at the World Championships,he was often caught out on the counter. “I am very aggressive and I give away too many points on the offensive,so I am trying to box on the counter side as well,” says Devendro.

Expect two more boxers to qualify for Olympics: Sandhu

Sandhu,meanwhile,expects two more of his wards to make the cut for London at the Olympic qualifiers to take the final number to six. Four Indian boxers booked their berths at last year’s World Championships – Devendro Singh (49kg),Jai Bhagwan (60kg),Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Vikas Krishan (69kg). Theoretically,India can qualify in all 10 weight categories but Sandhu wants to keep expectations realistic. “Ideally,I would want all of my boys who go to Astana to qualify but I am aiming for two slots and hoping my boys would exceed expectations,” he said. Sandhu,however,refused to reveal the weight categories he was hopeful of making the London Olympics.

Sandhu added that injuries to three of those who have qualified had prevented their participation in the trials for the Kazakhstan tournament. He,however,said that they would be getting enough international exposure ahead of the Olympics.

“We will be going to Germany and Czech Republic in March for competition-cum-exposure. The emphasis would be to get as much practice against international boxers as possible. It is basically a confidence-building exercise,” he said.

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