Among the leading Asian boxing countries, Kazakhstan and India train together before the start of the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships to raise their potentials in Astana. Kazakhstan's best boxers and the 10-strong Indian squad contain high number of world class athletes and gold medal contenders of the upcoming ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships.
The common training camp is holding in Astana in April 15-27 and following that the teams will be travelling to the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships to Tashkent. The continental event is the lone qualification tournament for the Hamburg 2017 AIBA World Boxing Championships.
Kazakhstan's best boxers such as AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Kayrat Yeraliyev, Rio 2016 Olympian Ablaikhan Zhussupov, AIBA Youth World Champion Sadriddin Akhmedov, Rio 2016 Olympic Games silver medallist Vassiliy Levit and their top WSB athletes such as Abilkhan Amankul and Kamshybek Kunkabayev are all there in the training camp in Astana.
One of the biggest rivalry within the Kazakh team is now between Ablaikhan Zhussupov and Sadriddin Akhmedov at the welterweight (69kg) which is traditionally strong in Kazakhstan. The Central Asian boxing power won the last four editions in the Olympic Games in this weight class and their new young stars have got the potential to continue that tradition in the upcoming years.
India is there in the joint training camp with 10 boxers and eight officials including one doctor and one physiotherapeutic in Astana. Their Rio 2016 Olympians such as ASBC Asian Champion Shiva Thapa, Commonwealth Games winner Manoj Kumar and Vikas Krishan Yadav are all there in the training camp and will be attending also in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Tashkent.
India's London 2012 Olympian Sumit Sangwan moved up to the heavyweight (91kg) following his last international competitions. AIBA World Boxing Championships quarter-finalist Satish Kumar is India's No.1 at the super heavyweight (+91kg) since 2013 and has got medal expectations in Tashkent.
The Indian team still contains the following boxers: Strandja Memorial Tournament bronze medallist Amit Panghal (49kg), ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships silver medallist Ashish Kulhriya (64kg), Gaurav Bidhuri (56kg), Kavinder Bisht Singh (52kg) and Manish Panwar (81kg).
