NEW DELHI: Independent India has produced a number of boxers who could hold their own against pugilists from Asian and Commonwealth countries but no Indian has advanced beyond the third round in the Olympic games, considered to be the highest test for any amateur boxer’s skill.
Several of the leading American professional boxers have pitted their might and won medals in the Olympic ring before opting boxing as a career successfully, an indication of the high standard of the Olympic boxing events over the years.
In this highly competitive atmosphere, Indian boxers have found it tough to advance beyond the second round and out of 21 boxers who have represented India in Olympics from 1948 onwards, only light weight Munuswamy Venu reached the third round at the Munich Olympics of 1972,
Venu, a silver medalist in the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games and the 1971 Teheran Asian Championship besides winning bronze medals in the’74 Teheran Asian Games, stopped Great Britain’s N. Cole in the second round before losing to eventual bronze medalist Samuel Mougua of Kenya in the next round at Munich.
NEW DELHI: Hosts India will take on Malaysia in the inaugural fixture of the six team Asian Zone World Cup Junior Women’s Hockey Qualifying Tournament here on October 15
Article extracted from this publication >> September 16, 1988
