Indian boxers leave for AIBA China Cup

New Delhi: South Asian Games gold medallist Chhote Lal Yadav and Olympian Diwakar Prasad are the best bet for medal in the eight-member Indian boxing team which left today for the AIBA 3 Star China Cup starting April 5 in Guiyang city. Diwakar, a feather weight boxer until 2008, returns to the ring in the 60kg category after two years in wilderness. The last time he was seen in action was the second Asian Olympic qualifiers in Thailand in 2008 where he missed the bus for Beijing. His career headed southwards thereafter and though he is in the core group of boxers for Commonwealth Games, he hasn`t competed in any international tournament since 2008. Lack of international exposure in the past two years has made Diwakar slightly jittery."It`s been more then two years. A new weight category, an all new format of three minutes of three rounds each to deal with... it would be quite a challenge," said the 25-year-old, whose form was also affected by a bout of Typhoid in 2008. Meanwhile, Yadav would be India`s feather weight (57kg) medal contender in the event, which will have at least 25 countries in fray. The 24-year-old missed out on an Asian Championship gold medal by a whisker last year. Yadav, who won the gold medal in the South Asian Games in Dhaka at the start of the year, has been included in the team in place of Olympian Jitender Kumar who was down with an ear injury and also had his college examinations to deal with. Jasveer Singh (81kg), a two-time national champion, would be aiming to make a mark in a category which Commonwealth Championship gold medallist and Olympian Dinesh Kumar has made his own in the past one year. Others in the team include former Commonwealth Championship gold medallist Sunil Kumar (51kg) and two-time national champion Kuldeep Singh (75kg). A kabaddi player before the boxing bug bit him in 2005, Kuldeep hopes to be a challenger to Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Vijender Singh for a place in Team India. "I only lose to him in nationals and trials. If I do well in this tournament, I would get that confidence to face up to him and challenge him for a place in the Indian team," the 21-year-old said. The China Cup will feature the hosts` Olympic gold medallists Shiming Zou (48kg) and Xiaoping Zhang (81kg) along with boxers from traditional powerhouses like Cuba and Russia. The Team: Sunil Kumar (51kg), Santhosh Singh (54kg), Chhote Lal Yadav (57kg), Diwakar Prasad (60kg), Lakhbir Singh (64kg), Jai Singh Patil (69kg), Kuldeep Singh (75kg) and Jasveer Singh (81kg). PTI