This city boxer packs a punch

Chandigarh boxer Kailash Gill will make his international debut at Agalarov Cup at Baku

Over the last few days Kailash Gill had a worried look on his face. The tussle between AIBA and IABF had threatened to put his maiden appearance in an international tournament on hold. But that changed when AIBA gave the green signal to the Indian boxers to compete in the Abbas Agalarov Cup to be held in Baku at Azerbaijan and since then Kailash's phone has not stopped ringing. In fact, he had been calling his close friends and relatives to ask what they wanted from Baku. Along with a long wish list, Kailash, who is part of the Indian youth team, left from Delhi to Baku on Wednesday. He will compete in the middle-weight (75kg) in the tournament.

"It's my first international tournament as a youth boxer. We have been attending camp at Aurangabad for the past two weeks to prepare for the tour. Europe's top ranked youth boxers will compete in the tournament and I am eager to do well against them. Our coaches, Bijilal and Rajendra More, spent a lot of time training us during the camp and we are geared up for the challenge. The weather will be cold in Azerbaijan at this time of year and we are focusing on making swift movements inside the ring. Adjusting to the cold weather would also be a challenge for us," shared Kailash, 18, who belongs to Ladhawas village near Bhiwani. Kailash, who trains at the Sector 42 Sports Complex under coach Balkar Singh, first came to Chandigarh three years ago on the insistence of his uncle for the want of a better future. He started off well and won gold in the 64 kg category at the sub-junior nationals two years ago. He went on to add another gold the following year in the junior nationals. 2012 had started on a great note for Kailash as he won silver in the 75 kg categoru in the junior nationals held at Patiala.

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