Indian boxers eye strong finish at season-ending World Boxing Cup Finals
Greater Noida (PTI): Indian boxers will look to end the season on a high while also targeting valuable ranking points when they step into the ring at the World Boxing Cup Finals beginning here on Sunday.
With World Boxing taking over as the international governing body of the sport, it introduced the World Boxing Cup series earlier this year, culminating in the Finals.
Boxers earn ranking points across all major tournaments, which plays a role in determining the seedings.
With the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games scheduled next year, these points become critical.
As per the format, medallists from the three World Boxing Cups held earlier this year, along with top-ranked pugilists, qualify for the Finals.
However, as hosts, India has been granted entries in all 20 weight categories across men and women.
Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) headlines the women's squad. The Telangana boxer, whose only international outing this year was a quarterfinal finish at the World Championships, will look to regain rhythm.
Reigning world champions Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Minakshi Hooda (48kg), along with world medallist Pooja Rani (80kg) and Nupur Sheoran (+80kg), will aim to maintain their strong form.
Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Arundhati Chaudhary (70kg) return to the national fold, as does Parveen Hooda (60kg), who had been suspended for failing to report her whereabouts, and all will hope to make an impact against a fairly strong field.
On the men's side, India endured a disappointing World Championships campaign, and hopes will be on the talented Abhinash Jamwal and Hitesh Gulia, who reached two World Cup finals earlier this year, to stand on the podium.
With the World Championships concluding as recently as September, several top names have skipped the season-ending event, which will begin from the quarterfinal stage.
Nonetheless, around 130 boxers from 18 countries, including a few Olympic medallists will compete in the tournament at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik stadium.
World Championships silver medallist, Sewonrets Okazawa (M70kg), of Japan and gold medallist, Huang Hsiao-Wen, from Chinese Taipei, will be chasing further success in the women's 54kg.
They will be joined Poland's 80kg+ World champion Agata Kaczmarska, who will compete at 80kg and Paris Olympics silver medallist Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu (M60kg) of Kyrgyzstan.
The competition will feature 10 weight classes for both men and women.
Squad:
Women: Minakshi (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Parveen Hooda (60kg), Neeraj Phogat (65kg), Arundhati Chaudhary (70kg), Saweety (75kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), Nupur Sheoran (+80kg)
Men: Jadumani Singh (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Abhinash Jamwal (65kg), Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg), Ankush Phogat (80kg), Jugnoo (85kg), Naveen Kumar (90kg), Narender (+90kg).
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
