Friendship boxing championship begins

By our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI, Feb 14: Friendship Cup Boxing got under way today at the SAI Sports complex. Altogether 43 boxers from Assam and Manipur are participating in the tourment.

The contest is the part of an exchange programme between Mary Kom Boxing Academy and Assam Boxing Academy. 27 boxers from Mary Kom Boxing Academy are now in Guwahati to participate in the championship.

The two-day meet was today iugurated by Subhash Basumatari, the Director of SAI Regiol Centre in Guwahati. In a brief speech Basumatri expressed hope that this type of exchange programme will help to develop boxing in both the states. The iugural function was also attended by president and the secretary of Assam Amateur Boxing Association Kalikanta Boro and Hemanta Kalita respectively, president of the Sports Jourlists Federation of India Subodh Malla Barua, sports organizer L Hemanta Singh, Prab Saikia and Anup Choudhury.

Onler Kom, who is the founder of Mary Kom Boxing Academy and the husband of former world Champion boxer, is accompanying the Manipur team. Sharing light on the academy Onler said, “At present around 90 boxers are being trained on regular basis in the academy. The work is on to add more facilities in it so that it becomes one of the best Boxing Academy in the country.”

On Mary Kom’s future he added that She would try for 2020 Olympics.

Meanwhile Hemanta Kalita, the secretary of the Assam Amateur Boxing Association today hinted that in the coming days they could work with Mary Kom Boxing Academy for the betterment of state boxers. “It’s a good academy. I feel, our boxers will be benefitted if we take the help of Mary Kom Boxing Academy in the coming days.”