Rohtak (Haryana)[India], June 19 (ANI): Around 640 up-and-coming pugilists from across the country, including 350 boys and 290 girls, will face off in the 6th Junior (U-17) Boys and Girls National Boxing Championships at the National Boxing Academy in Rohtak, Haryana, from Thursday.

Both the Junior Boys and Junior Girls competitions will feature 13 weight categories each, ranging from 44-46 kg to 80+ kg. The Services Sports Control Board will look to defend their title from the 5th Boys' Nationals, while Haryana enter as the defending champions in the Girls' category.

'The Junior National Championship is a crucial platform for young boxers to showcase their skills in front of national selectors and coaches. It plays a key role in helping BFI identify and nurture future talent. I am happy to see strong participation from all teams as we look to discover the next generation of Indian boxing stars. Many of these young boxers will represent India in the 2032 & 2036 Olympic Games, and therefore, this championship is of great importance,' said Boxing Federation of India President-Chairperson, Interim Committee, Ajay Singh.

'This championship also comes before the Asian Youth Games in October this year, where, for the first time, Boxing has been included. The winners from here will go on to represent India at these Asian Games, where 14 medals will be up for grabs. With robust systems already in place, BFI is committed to supporting these young athletes in realising their full potential,' he added.

The gold and silver medallists of the REC Combined Talent Hunt (Junior Boys and Girls) held in October 2024 would be eligible to participate in the National Championships under the REC banner, provided they fulfil the eligibility criteria of being born between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010.

The championships will be conducted as per the World Boxing Technical & Competitions Rules, wherein each bout will consist of three rounds of two minutes each, with a minute's rest in between. A ten-points-must scoring system shall be followed.

Indian boxing has been making huge strides towards becoming a top boxing nation across all levels. While the seniors clinched eight medals, including two gold, at the recently-concluded Thailand International, the juniors (U-15 and U-17) collected 43 medals-including 15 gold, six silver, and 22 bronze-at the inaugural Asian U-15 & U-17 Championships, finishing second in the overall table and displaying the strength of a strong youth programme. (ANI)