Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), March 29 Indian boxers will aim for a good performance at the Asian Championships, which begin here on Monday, as they look to make the most of their opportunities in a busy season and secure direct berths for multi-sport events later this year.
The tournament marks the first major outing in a packed season that includes the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (July-August), the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (September-October), and the World Boxing Cup Finals in Uzbekistan.
Besides the medal rush, the championships also assume added significance as finalists will earn direct qualification for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, in line with the Boxing Federation of India's selection policy.
The Indian team has been acclimatising in Mongolia for the past 15 days, training in multinational camps and sparring with boxers from Mongolia, China, Jordan, and Thailand.
The women's team will be led by Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg), reigning world champions Minakshi Hooda (48kg) and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg).
While Lovlina comes in after a gold-winning effort at the Boxam International in Spain in February, it will be the first international outing since November for Zareen, Hooda, and Jaismine.
"These Asian Championships will be a strong test. We know that Asian boxing has improved the level over the last decade, and many of the world's strongest teams are in Asia," women's head coach Santiago Nieva told