AIBA World Cup - Euphoria, dejection and the task ahead

The first AIBA Boxing World Cup was a mixed bag for Indian boxing fans. The first two days of the five day event were a cause for elation as all four Indian boxers won through to the semi-finals. This ensured that the World Cup would be India’s most successful world-level event ever. There was also hope that we will win our first silver or gold medal at a global tournament. Right from Zoram Thanga and Venkatesh Devarajan to Vijender, we have never managed something better than bronze. Could this be the watershed moment?

Sadly, there was major dejection in store. It started with Jitender Kumar getting soundly beaten by Laffita Hernandez of Cuba. Then there was a heart-break moment as Akhil Kumar lost out on a count back after tying 4-4 against another Cuban, Alarcon Leon. In Beijing, Akhil had been on the right side of a tight call but sadly it was his opponent who heaved a sigh of relief in Moscow. Anthresh Lakra fought hard but went down 3-6 to Torriente Idel making it 3 out 3 for Cuba against India. And the worst was yet to come. It came when Dinesh Kumar was battered into submission and was forced to throw in the towel, bringing an ignominious end to the Indian campaign. The watershed moment would have to wait for another day.

Now a day later, after the dust has settled, we can take stock of the situation. Dinesh Kumar beat Abdelhafid Benchabla, the guy who beat him at Beijing and went onto clinch bronze. That is a big gain – one step forward for him. Jitender and Anthresh have won bronze but they did not have to beat a top boxer to do that – hence don’t have much other than the bronze medal to take home from this event.

Akhil Kumar’s drawn duel against a world –class Cuban is the biggest gain. Alarcon Leon showed his class by winning his final bout 10-1. It is the first time that an Indian boxer has gone toe-to-toe, punch for punch against a top Cuban. Fighting against them is as much a challenge mentally as it is a test of skill and power. This will give Indian boxers the confidence that they have it in them to take on the very best. As for Akhil, it will be a small step towards the goal he has set for himself – gold at London 2012.

This tournament has also thrown some light on what India needs to do in boxing now. It has clearly established that boxing is India’s biggest medal hope at the next Olympics and also that the talent pool is also larger – as compared to badminton, wrestling and shooting. It has conclusively proved that the increase in exposure trips and the hiring of a physio have paid off big time. And therefore more good work needs to be done in that direction – starting with an increase in world-class support staff and training infrastructure. It has also shown us that we still have a long way to go before we can start beating the Cubans and the Russians. We need to start setting the bar higher. Bronze medals are good but let’s not get too carried away by it. Let’s start aiming and preparing for the watershed moment.