Indian boxers promise to come out in flying colours in the fifth edition of the Commonwealth Boxing Championship.

By Garima Verma

The fifth Commonwealth Boxing Championship might have to fight for a space in the limelight with the ongoing hockey World Cup and the Indian Premier League, but the organizers and the boxers are leaving no stone unturned to woo spectators.

Aiming for a gold medal in front of the home crowd, star boxer and Olympic bronze-winner Vijender Singh extended the invitation to all boxing lovers by promising some wholesome entertainment.

"We want everyone to come and watch the bouts. I promise we will not disappoint you. We might be nervous and keeping our fingers crossed but we are confident of winning many medals," he said.

"We assure that whosoever comes to support us won't be wasting a minute. The spectators will be fully entertained," added fellow boxer Akhil Kumar, who will be looking to end his medal draught after a disappointing 2009.

Akhil, who would compete in the revised bantam weight (56kg) after feather weight (57kg) was abolished, was mostly out of action the whole last year due to a nagging wrist injury.

India had won the Commonwealth team championship in 2002 in Glasgow with four golds and three silver medals but settled for the runners-up trophy in 2005 with one gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

The fifth edition will see around 100 boxers from 14 countries fighting it out among themselves in over 100 bouts.

All major Commonwealth boxing nations, including Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, England, Wales, Scotland, New Zealand, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius, Botswana and Bahamas will be lining up their boxers in 10 weight categories.

Though the event might seem to have lost a bit of its sheen after pullouts by Australia, Canada, Ghana and Pakistan, the Indian line-up, which boasts of Vijender,

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil and Asian champion Suranjoy Singh, should be enough to draw the crowds. And, with defending champions England and Scotland in the fray, the level of competition is also expected to be good.

"We promise to make this event a memorable one and hope that the participating countries will also cherish the experience," Indian Boxing Federation secretary general PK Muralidharan Raja said.

In their attempt to attract more and more people to the event, the organisers have even dded a dash of colour and glamour to the event with cheerleaders and pop singers entertaining all during the opening and closing ceremonies.

"We are keeping our fingers crossed for a good response because the IPL will start and the hockey World Cup matches are also on. We have planned a colourful ceremony to start the event and hopefully it will help bring in the crowds.

"We will entertain the people and hopefully that would make the event a hit," said sports marketing firm Percept's MD Shailendra Singh.

"The tickets are available online and we are tying up with multiplex chain of PVR too. The response has not been too bad and hopefully it would catch up once the Indians start wining," he said.

Set to be held at the renovated Talkatora Stadium, the tournament is also a test event for the Commonwealth Games scheduled in October this year. And, the technical delegates seemed satisfied with the preparations.

"Our job is going to be an easy one. So far everything is perfect and I expect the Indian boxers to do well," said Irish delegate Pat McCrory.

The technical delegate for CWG 2010 Raymond Silvas added, "The event is a dry run for the Commonwealth Games and we will be taking a note of whether the venue and personnel will work for the CWG as well."