Boxing Olympic Qualifiers: Amit Panghal, Nishant Dev eye Paris quota

Indian boxers have their last chance to book a berth for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics as the second Boxing Olympics qualifiers go underway in Bangkok tomorrow.

India has a total of three quotas in Boxing till now as Parveen Hooda's suspension due to whereabouts failure this month resulted in India losing the 57kg quota.

Jaismine who failed to book a berth during the earlier two qualifying events, has got a third shot in the 57kg after Parveen was sanctioned.

With all three quotas coming in the women's category, the male boxers have been poor as in the last qualifiers only Nishant Dev moved past the opening round.

This also triggered a coaching crisis. High-Performance Director Bernard Dunne handed his resignation during the first World qualifier itself.

"From the Thailand qualifiers, we hope to clinch 4-5 quota places and we are hoping for the best. This time we have a definite chance," Indian boxing coach CA Kuttappa told SAI Media ahead of the event here.

The men's squad is a new one as former world number one Amit Panghal replaced Deepak Bhoria in the 51kg category.

Panghal is coming off a gold-winning run at the prestigious Strandja Memorial tournament earlier this year and the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He will have only one shot at making the Olympics and the former Asian Games champion will look to make the most of it.

Abhinash Jamwal has been handed an opportunity to make the cut for his debut Olympics after the seasoned Shiva Thapa's repeated failures in the 63.5kg weight class, which has five quotas on offer.

Young boxer Abhimanyu Loura, who has replaced Lakshya Chahar, will try his luck in 80kg. He will have to make it to the top three to earn his maiden Olympic appearance.

Nishant Dev missed sealing his berth in Italy by a whisker. He would be brimming with confidence. With five quotas on offer in 71kg, he is expected to return with a ticket to Paris.

In the women's competition, Ankushita Boro, who competed in the 66kg event, has moved down to 60kg, pipping Jaismine Lamboriya in the assessment. Ankushita will have to finish in the top three to make the cut.

National Champion Arundhati Choudhary (66kg) will be the third Indian female boxer in the fray.

With 188 boxers having already earned Olympic berths via the continental qualifiers and the world qualifiers, Indian boxers are expected to add to the tally of three quotas.

The tournament has 51 quota places on offer, including 23 for women and 28 for men, and a boxer will be assured of a Paris ticket after reaching the semifinals.

Indian Boxing Squad:

Women: Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Ankushita Boro (60kg), Arundhati Choudhary (66kg).

Men: Amit Panghal (51kg), Sachin Siwach Jr. (57kg), Abhinash Jamwal (63.5kg), Nishant Dev (71kg), Abhimanyu Loura (80kg), Sanjeet (92kg), Narender Berwal (+92kg).