Mary Kom and Amit Panghal rested as 13 pugilists make the cut for Istanbul boxing event

A 13-member strong Indian contingent, including Tokyo-bound Pooja Rani, will feature in the upcoming Bosphorus Boxing Tournament, to be held in Istanbul from March 15 to 21. Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom has been rested for the meet after her recent appearance at the Boxam International tournament.

World no. 1 in men's 52kg weight class, Amit Panghal, who crashed out in the quarter-final in Castellon, Spain (Boxam International) last week, has been rested for the event. Vikas Krishan, who claimed the silver medal in the 69kg category at the Boxam International meet, will also skip the Bosphorus Boxing Tournament.

So far, Pooja Rani is the only Indian boxer to have booked a spot at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

Ashish Kumar, who tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of his gold medal bout at the Boxam International meet, hasn't travelled to Istanbul for the upcoming event.

📍ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜᴅᴏᴡɴ ɪsᴛᴀɴʙᴜʟTeam 🇮🇳 has landed in Istanbul for upcoming International Elite Men & Women Istanbul Bosphorus Boxing Tournament which will start from 1️⃣5️⃣th March, 2021.#boxing pic.twitter.com/R1JFnNmSVV

— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) March 13, 2021

Complete list of the Indian contingent for Bosphorus Boxing Tournament

India's men's group for the Istanbul-based event includes Lalitha Prasad (52 kg), Gaurav Solanki (57 kg), Shiva Thapa (63 kg), Duryodhan Singh Negi (75 kg), Prayag Chauhan (75 kg), Brijesh Yadav (81 kg), Naman Tanwar (91 kg) and Krishna Sharma (+91 kg).

The women’s contingent comprises of Nikhat Zareen (51 kg), Sonia Lather (57 kg), Parveen (60 kg), Jyoti Gulia (69 kg) and Pooja Rani (75 kg).

Pooja Rani is looking forward to the Bosphorus Boxing Tournament with an eye on the Tokyo Olympics.

“Having been away from boxing for so many months due to COVID-19, playing more and more competitive tournaments will be essential to build up the confidence heading into Tokyo,” Pooja Rani told the Olympic Channel.

India’s performance at the Covid-19 affected Boxam International meet was impressive. They claimed ten podium finishes, including one gold, eight silver and one bronze medal.