Selection dilemma at boxing trials for World Championships

With an increased talent pool to choose from, the Indian Boxing Federation's selection panel is faced with a problem of plenty at the trials to pick the team for the World Championships next month.

The World Championship in Azerbaijan is the first Olympic qualifying event and IBF Secretary General P K Muralidharan Raja said the selectors have quite a few dilemmas to deal with.

"The competition has improved so much, it will take quite a while to finalise the names. Some categories are really tough, we will have to deliberate a lot," he said.

The bantam weight 56kg division has the experienced Akhil Kumar, a former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, fighting it out for a place in the team against a spunky 19-year-old Shiva Thapa and Chhote Lal Yadav along with his own prodigy Jitender Kumar. Another selection dilemma is in the heavy weight 91 kg category, where former super heavy weight boxer Paramjeet Samota's decision to reduce a division has created a threat for Manpreet Singh.

Samota was a CWG gold-medallist in his previous category while Manpreet is an Asian Games silver-medallist in his and the selectors are in a fix on who to pick.

In the 64 kg, Asian Games silver-medallist V Santhosh Kumar has to fight it out with Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Manoj Kumar.

But some categories are more or less decided with Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Vijender Singh likely to retain his place in the middle weight 75 kg division.

Dinesh Kumar is the favourite for the light heavyweight 81 kg, while Asian Games gold medallist Vikas Krishan will take the welter weight 69 kg slot.

The selectors are likely to announce the team for the World Championships in the next two-three days.