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After a dominating top-6 performance in back-to-back World Championships and a historic nine Olympic quota haul, Indian boxing’s rise is further validated by the recent world rankings released by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) where 12 Indian pugilists are in the top 10 (eight women, four men) with Amit Panghal (52kg) at the pinnacle.

Five boxers from the Northeast – three from Assam and two from Manipur – have also featured in the top ranking.

Consistency has been the key to the success of the Indian contingent which has been proven time and again in various international and elite level tournaments where Indians have dominated. A rejuvenated and streamlined system with focussed international exposures and experience of fighting top boxers with high-level and competitive domestic tournaments has given Indian boxing the desired fillip.

“As the BFI president, I have always wanted to see Indian boxers at the pinnacle and it gives me immense satisfaction to see the roadmap unfolding. While these glories of winning medals and topping the rankings are no doubt special, we still remain un-wavered in our mission of winning Olympic medals for India,” said BFI President Ajay Singh.

Maintaining his dominance not only in results but also in ranking charts, Amit Panghal continues to lead the pack with a number 1 position in 52 kg. Six-time world champion Mary Kom is placed third in 51 kg while a sizzling silver medal-winning debut at the AIBA Women’s World Championships catapulted young Manju Rani to a career-best number 2 in 48 kg.

Deepak (49 kg, 6th), Kavinder Singh Bisht (56 kg, 4th), Manish Kaushik (64 kg, 6th) are the other Indian men who found a place in the top 10 while Jamuna Boro (54 kg, 5th) Sonia Chahal (57 kg, 4th), Simranjit Kaur (64 kg, 6th), Lovlina Borgohain (69 kg, 3rd), Pooja Rani (81 kg, 8th) and Seema Poonia (+81 kg, 6th) are the other Indian women pugilists ranked inside top 10.

After three months of confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players who were trading at home have slowly started gearing up and will resume training soon.

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