New Delhi : The administration of the sport itself remained in a state of paralysis but Vijender Singh’s stunning professional plunge and Shiva Thapa’s World Championships medal lifted the gloom to an extent for the rudderless ship called Indian boxing in the year going by. Vijender, the country’s first ever Olympic and World Championships medallist, took the entire Indian boxing fraternity by surprise with his decision to turn professional during, what was called, a training trip to the UK.
So, to turn pro just a year before the Olympic Games, where he was seen as a strong medal contender in the middleweight category, was met with some applause, some criticism and a lot of skepticism. But he has managed to prove the naysayers wrong with his confident performances so far, including a couple of knockout wins. In women’s boxing, it was all about the return of L Sarita Devi, the former world champion who had been serving a one-year ban for her emotional outburst at the 2014 Asian Games medal ecermony.
The Manipuri came back into the reckoning with some good performances in a training-cum-competition trip to China. While the boxers remained focussed on doing what they are best at, the administrators of the sport also carried on doing what they never get tired of — politicking. Barely a year after a new federation took charge in the form of Boxing India, a revolt from state units forced the ouster of its President Sandeep Jajodia and Secretary Jay Kowli in May.
As was expected, a bewildered and livid International Boxing Association (AIBA) provisionally suspended Boxing India and ordered that a new body take shape but did not set a deadline for the process. The world body, instead, handed over the administration of the sport to an ad-hoc committee headed by Kishen Narsi, India’s representative in the AIBA. Amid the din in amateur administration, professional boxing made an unobtrusive entry into the Indian market following Vijender’s move. Vijender is registered with the IBC, which has sought affiliation from the WBC as well as the WBA.
