AIBA World Championship bronze medallist and star boxer Shiva Thapa (60 kg) is all set to play in the World Series of Boxing (WSB), this Saturday. India will host two back to back matches of WSB, this weekend.
Thapa will lead India’s charge against the Patriot’s. The Indian Tigers will take on the Patriot Boxing team from Russia and the China Dragons on April 21 and 22 respectively.
This is the second home leg and the Tigers will seek victory against the Russian franchisee after their trips to Kazakhstan and Russia, in their away games, failed to yield any positive result. They will aim to take full advantage of the home conditions.
This marks Thapa’s return to the squared ring through the professional format boxing.
After missing out on the trip to Gold Coast and suffering an injury-plagued year, this will be Shiva’s first professional appearance for the Tigers and he will look to begin with a bang.
“I am confident about my fitness especially after my rehab; this will be the first time I will be out in the ring. This is my first brush with the Tigers and playing the semi-professional circuit after 2014, I am confident that I can make the opportunity count and secure a win,” three-time Asian Champion Shiva Thapa said before his Indian Tigers’ debut.
On Sunday, the host takes on a team which has registered only a single win yet in their WSB campaign – the China Dragons.
“This will be our last home leg matches for the Season and we want to finish it on a high! At the same time the boxers will have a great opportunity to use the WSB platform and prove their potential for the upcoming Asian Games as our preparations for it has already started. Am glad to see champion boxers like Shiva Thapa being part of Indian Tigers while young pugilists of our country are also getting a great exposure opportunity while they get to compete against renowned boxers from all over the world,” Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President, Ajay Singh explained.
