Caught in BFI politics, girls boxers defy diktat at Nationals | Boxing Information – The Instances of India

GREATER NOIDA: Imposing flexboard cutouts of Lovlina Borgohain and Nikhat Zareen greet you on the entrance of the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik sports activities advanced. Inside, noisy motion from the elite girls’s boxing nationals resonates within the corridor. However it’s a very sparse match that’s lastly happening after being postponed twice — first in November 2024 after which in January 2025.
You quickly understand that Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina from Assam and two-time world champion Nikhat of Telanga-na are solely current as publicity. On Ring ‘A’, representing Punjab, veteran Simranjit Kaur is summoning all her tactical acumen in outclassing Prachi of the Railways Sports activities Promotion Board. It’s a unanimous determination for Simranjit, a World and Asian championships medallist within the light-weight (60kg) quarterfinal.
Within the purple nook on an adjoining ring, Rajasthan’s Shweta was outmanoeuvring Tamil Nadu’s Anitha P with exact hooks and jabs to safe her place within the semis of sunshine mid-dleweight (70kg) class.
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Hosted by the Uttar Pradesh Boxing Affiliation (UPBA) after the unique allottee, Mad-hya Pradesh, didn’t conduct this key occasion, the nationals have been severely affected by factionalism within the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), the place the now-suspended secretary common Hemanta Kalita, treasurer Digvijay Singh and vice-president Rajesh Bhandari have damaged away from president Ajay Singh, who seeks his third consecutive time period as federation head.
Because of this, the nationals witnessed pullouts from member associations after dissenting factions referred to as for a boycott, with menace of repercussions if the decision was disobeyed.
TOI has learnt that Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh and Union Territories Andaman & Nicobar, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Jammu & Kashmir, Lakshadweep and Puducherry haven’t despatched groups.
The occasion is headlined primarily by elite boxers from Haryana, Companies Sports activities Management Board (SSCB), All India Police and the RSPB. However such is the optics on the occasion that in some cases, as conveyed by boxers from Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Telangana and Rajasthan, they had been flown in free of charge by Ajay Singh’s SpiceJet airline.
“Our staff’s practice tickets had been booked from Bagdogra for the March 17 Nationals. Then I learnt that it had been postponed. Two days later, we obtained a name that the BFI is offering us complimentary flight tickets,” Sikkim’s Yasika Rai, 48kg boxer advised TOI. “My federation had instructed me to boycott the occasion, however I selected to attend.”
Not far, Olympian Simranjit selected to compete for “private progress”.
“Ladies’s boxing has endured appreciable setbacks because of federation politics,” she mentioned, “I’m right here for my private progress. I’m right here for boxing and my very own future.”
Caught within the officers’ in-fighting, a number of boxers selected to attend the nationals for participation certificates within the hope of presidency employment.
“My state affiliation boycotted the occasion, however I actually wished to compete right here,” a Telangana boxer mentioned. “Boxing is impor- tant for my monetary sustainability. No matter little I earn via boxing helps feed my household. I want the participation certificates, as it may assist in securing a authorities job in my state,” she mentioned.
Simranjit, Jaismine enter semifinals
World Championships bronze winner Simranjit and Commonwealth Video games medallist Jaismine Lamboria continued their dominance on the Senior Nationals, storming into the semifinals with commanding victories right here on Tuesday.
Simranjit, the primary feminine boxer from Punjab to compete on the Olympics, landed some well-placed left crosses and hooks to attain a unanimous 5:0 quarterfinal win over Railways’ Prachi within the 60 kg class.
Jaismine, representing Companies, relied on her counter-attacking ways to safe one other RSC (Referee Stops the Contest) win, this time in opposition to Tamil Nadu’s Hannah Pleasure, who lasted solely two rounds within the 57kg lasteight stage conflict.