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Though the Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) has made participation in the senior men's national championships mandatory for selection to the national squad, the premier domestic event will be without top stars. World No.1 and Olympic medallist Vijender is out with a wrist injury, one which he suffered a few days back, while youth world champion Nanao Singh and Jitender Kumar too aren't fit.
Jitender has undergone dental surgery, Nanao is yet to recover from a wrist injury.
The IBF had announced that all 40 boxers in the core group for the Commonwealth Games had to participate in the event barring specific medical issues- to be considered for the games in October and the Asian Games in November.
However, the disappointing result in the XIV Elite International boxing tournament in Kazakhstan where the Indian contingent, finished with just a bronze has forced the federation to look beyond the core group.
IBF secretary general Col. PKM Muralidharan Raja said, "We have to look at the boxers with the best medal prospects. No one can take their position for granted. New names may be added, while those who do not perform up to the mark may be dropped."
Those who have confirmed participation for the senior nationals include, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar, Asian champion Suranjoy Singh, Jai Bhagwan, Dinesh Kumar and Paramjeet Samota and South Asian Games gold medallist Chhote Lal Yadav.
Akhil, who will be participating in the 60kg category, is recovering from a knee injury. "My wrists are fine now but I was undergoing rehabilitation following a knee injury. Even during training, I was taking full precautions before getting into the ring. Ideally, I would have preferred regaining full fitness before getting into competitive boxing but since the nationals were made mandatory, I decided to participate. Since I didn't have enough time to recover, I decided to compete in the 60kg," said Akhil, who competes in the 56kg category.
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