Indian boxers spar with Dominicans and Iranians ahead of Asian Games

The Indian boxers have been attending a multi-nation camp at NIS Patiala in the run-up to the Asian Games.

Apart from the Indians, the camp features 10 pugilists from the Dominican Republic — seven men and three women — and three from Iran. The Dominican team includes two Paris Olympics bronze medallists — Cristian Pinales (80kg) and Junior Alcantara (51kg) — who are sparring in 90kg and 55kg respectively.

“The Dominican boxers have been in Patiala since the last week of August and the Iranians joined on September 1. It will benefit our boxers as we don’t have enough sparring partners in the heavier weights,” Boxing Federation of India (BFI) executive director Col. (retd.) Arun Malik told The Hindu on Thursday.

“It is difficult to get other foreign boxers for training as the European Championships start on September 15. The boxers in the Americas are preparing for the Pan-American Championships in mid-October and are not willing to travel far.”

Ahead of the Asiad, the Indians will have a camp in Nagoya from September 9 to 16.

Meanwhile, the BFI downplayed the non-allocation of a masseur to the 11 Asian Games-bound boxers. “As per sports science, a masseur is needed during training as he can give a deep muscle massage. But during a competition, a deep massage may sometimes create problems. If someone needs a masseur, we can find one for a gentle massage. We will have a masseur during our Nagoya camp,” said Col. Malik.

“Physios, who know every athlete’s specific needs, play a key role in recovery and rehab when boxers fight one bout after another. A doctor is also needed as boxers can get cuts, which require immediate attention,” he said about the presence of two physios and a doctor in the set-up.