Minakshi Hooda leads India’s charge as World Boxing Cup Finals kick off

Greater Noida : It’s showtime. The moment has arrived when every movement, every punch and every feint counts. The World Boxing Cup (WBC) Finals, a five-day global spectacle, will begin here on Sunday with more than 120 elite boxers from 15 nations engaged in an engrossing battle to be crowned the season-ending champions.The event is set to run from Dec 16-20 at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik sports complex here. The draw for the WBC Finals was unveiled on Saturday. Reigning world champion in the women’s 48kg category, Minakshi Hooda, will spearhead the nation’s medal charge on the opening day. Preeti Narender Berwal and Ankush Panghal will also be seen in action.

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Some of the prominent Indian boxers will be missing, with Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain opting out of the tournament and men’s 80kg boxer Lakshya Chahar suffering an unfortunate foot injury during a training sessions at the NIS in Patiala.Incidentally, Finland has not sent a team for the event while some countries have entered secondstring squads. India’s campaign begins with a high-stakes opener with Liverpool World gold medallist Minakshi taking on Kazakhstan’s Bolat Akbota in her opening round. Preeti (54kg) will meet Uzbekistan’s Nigina Uktamova, a former Youth World champion, in opener, in what promises to be a tense, tactical showdown between the two pugilists.The men’s draw brings equally fierce action, featuring a high-octane clash between Ankush (80kg) and Japan’s Go Wakaya.