Tokyo Olympics: Amit Panghal will enter his maiden Olympics as world number one in the 52kg category and is a favourite to win a medal in the upcoming quadrennial event.
She is over the moon after becoming the first Indian woman boxer to clinch an Olympic medal but bronze is not the colour for M C Mary Kom, who feels she could have finished higher on the podium had it not been for the "confusion" that gripped her during the semifinals.
India's much-hyped male boxers might have drawn a blank in the London Olympics but national coach Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu on Thursday insisted that the country's pugilists gave their "best performance" in the quadrennial sporting spectacle.
In a country where world champions are a rarity, five-time boxing world champion M.C. Mary Kom always had to shout for recognition. But all that will hopefully change now after she has added another feather to her cap - an Olympic medal.
A month ago, India's diminutive female boxer Mary Kom was just an occasional story on the sports pages. With an Olympic medal in hand, she has become the nation's newest sports star.
With boxer M C Mary Kom poised to fight for silver medal in the London Olympics on Wednesday evening, a large number of people in Manipur prayed for her success in temples and churches all over the state.
India's Mary Kom will fight world number 2 Nicola Adams today for a right to advance into the final round of the 51kg boxing in the London Olympics. While the 29-year-old is assured of bringing back a Bronze at the least, she can also gain clear shot at a Silver or a Gold.
The stage looks set for the Indian boxers to create history at the London Olympics. With eight boxers qualifying for the mega event, India is fielding its largest boxing contingent at the Games.
A late bloomer in the world of boxing, Jai Bhagwan took rapid strides to get to the pinnacle of sport in the country. In his first appearance at the Olympics, the 27-year-old feels he has nothing to lose and will be under no pressure.
Vijender Singh on Tuesday defended the new found aggression of the young Indian boxers, saying it just speaks of the confidence of the players, who do not get intimidated by the reputation of the rivals.
He is one of India's best bets for an Olympic medal in boxing, but world number six Vikas Krishan does not quite like the spotlight on him as he feels it is better to be "unknown" to lead a normal life.
A record eight boxers qualifying for the London Olympics is a clear indicator of the phenomenal growth of the sport in India, with the pugilists taking the country to new heights, but a lot more needs to be done, particularly at the grassroots level, to become a world power, chief coach Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu says.
Former world champion woman boxer Aruna Mishra on Friday said that five-time world champion M.C. Mary Kom, who qualified for the London Olympics, has a fair chance of winning a medal for the country.
He is the youngest Indian pugilist to qualify for the Olympics but Shiva Thapa was busy trying his hand at athletics and football to start with before catching the phenomenal Mike Tyson on TV charmed him into taking up boxing.