New Delhi: Top female boxers, including 2016 Rio Olympics Gold medalist Estelle Mossely and 2020 Tokyo Olympics Silver medalist Nesthy Petecio, are among the seven Olympic medalists who will participate in the upcoming International Boxing Association (IBA) Women's World Boxing Championships being held from March 15 to 26 at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi.
Boxing Federations of India (BFI) will host the Women's World Boxing Championships for the third time, most ever by any country since the tournament's inception and a total of 350 plus boxers from 74 countries have registered so far for this biennial event, as per a press release from the governing body of the sport in the country.
On the opportunity for them to host the World Boxing Championships, Ajay Singh, President of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) said: "It is an honour for India and the BFI to host the prestigious IBA Women's World Boxing Championships. We are hosting it for the third time but this time the tournament will touch an unprecedented high mark. We have already received registration from 74 countries so far, bigger than any previous editions. The BFI is all set to conduct an event of such magnitude and we are certain that the world will witness the best-ever congregation of boxers."
Three Tokyo Olympics silver medallists are also participating in the upcoming Championships and will look to produce fireworks in the ring as the boxing fans assemble in the Capital. Singh said the last World Championship saw the participation of 310 boxers and the present edition has so far seen more than 350 registrations from boxers around the world. "The registration is still open as the closing date is February 25. With more than a week remaining, I am confident that some more nations and boxers will look to come to this edition of the Championship," he said.
Nesthy Petecio won a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics and she became the first-ever boxer from the Philippines to win a medal at the Olympics. The 2019 World Champion will compete in the Featherweight (57kg) category. Beatriz Iasmin Ferreira (60kg) of Brazil and Qian Li (75kg) of China were silver medalists in the Tokyo Olympics.
Japanese Tsukimi Namiki and Colombian Ingrit Lorena Valencia in the Flyweight (51kg) category too will be eager to maintain their performance at the World Boxing Championships. Irma Testa, a bronze medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics, is also a strong medal contender in the Featherweight (57kg) category. The Italian boxer has plenty of experience coming into the World meet. (ANI)
