Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), March 14 (IANS) India’s elite men’s and women’s boxing contingent has arrived in Mongolia to begin an intensive pre-tournament training camp ahead of the Asian Boxing Championships 2026, scheduled to be held from March 28 to April 11.

The first batch of boxers, comprising prominent pugilists Preeti (54 kg), Harsh Choudhary (90 kg), Jadumani Singh (55 kg), Sachin (60 kg), Deepak (70 kg), Ankushita Boro (65 kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70 kg), Jaismine (57 kg) and Nikhat Zareen (51 kg), along with members of the support staff, has reached the host nation and will begin their acclimatisation phase.

The Indian contingent will train alongside participants from other countries as they gear up for the crucial continental event, which will see the winners secure direct qualification for the upcoming Asian Games and Commonwealth Games later this year.

The second batch of athletes and support staff is scheduled to depart for Mongolia on March 15 to join the camp.

Along with the main contingent, the second-ranked boxers in the Olympic weight categories and the first-ranked boxers in the non-Olympic weight categories have also joined the camp to provide quality sparring and strengthen the team’s preparations. They will train with the squad during the build-up phase and are scheduled to return to India on March 28, 2026.

The tournament, one of Asia’s premier boxing events, plays a key role in shaping rankings and momentum ahead of major international competitions. offers Continental titles and ranking points, which will be quite helpful ahead of the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

In the fray will be Asia’s boxing powerhouses, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, China, Japan and Thailand, who will battle for supremacy across weight divisions.

India has consistently been among the top-performing nations at the Asian Championships in recent editions. With experienced names leading the charge, the squad goes into the event with high expectations as the boxers are set to make multiple finals appearances, strong gold medal contention in women’s categories, and breakthrough podium finishes in middleweight and heavyweight divisions.

Asian boxing remains highly competitive, particularly from Central Asian nations, but India’s structured preparation gives the squad confidence heading into the tournament.

–IANS

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