Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Singh will have to prove that he is good enough even before he gets a chance to qualify for the London Games. The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) has decided to conduct selection trials for the Asian qualifiers on February 25 and 26 in Patiala and asserted that no boxer can take his place in the squad for granted.
Around 40 boxers across the six weight categories will fight it out in the trials and six best performers, according to the selection committee, will be selected for the Asian qualifying tournament for the Olympics, which is scheduled to take place in Astana in April.
“The squad for the qualifiers in Astana will be selected purely on form and merit,” national coach GS Sandhu told DNA.
Though the selection trials seem to be a mere formality, Sandhu believes the youngsters can give the big names a run for their money.
Kuldeep Singh has done well in 75kg and can give Vijender a tough fight while Suranjoy can expect competition from the likes of Madan Lal. For Akhil, the challenge will mainly come from youngster Shiva Thapa, Jitender Kumar and Chotte Lal Yadav.
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