Time for Indian boxers to show strength at home

World boxing is going through a churn. The new international governing body for the sport, World Boxing, has devised a new calendar, format, and ranking system. Weight classes have been reduced from 13 to 10. Boxers around the world, who until last year were competing under the International Boxing Association's (IBA) banner, are adapting to these changes.

- Avishek Roy [e-mail]

The World Boxing Cup series was introduced to give more relevance to Olympic-style boxing, and it culminates in the Finals that are being held in Greater Noida starting Saturday.

As per the format, the winners of the three World Boxing Cup stages and top-ranked boxers compete for prize money and a trophy. The most important event in the calendar, the World Championships, was held in September. The season-ending finale, therefore, has not attracted too many stars and ranked boxers (56 out of 128 entries are not in the world ranking points).

There will still be a fair sprinkling of international stars in Olympic and Worlds medallists. The presence of top boxing nations like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Chinese Taipei will make it a tougher test. China, though, is giving it a miss. Notable among the top boxers are