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India will send a full-squad led by Asian silver medallist Shiva Thapa (63.5kg) for the upcoming men’s World Boxing Championships. The big-ticket competition is scheduled to be held in Belgrade, Serbia and will feature over 600 boxers from 105 countries.
The tournament gets underway from October 24, where the champions will walk away with prize money of $100,000. Apart from Thapa, India will also feature other Asian medalists in Deepak Kumar (51kg) and Sanjeet (92kg).
"The number of registered boxers is 650 athletes, which is a record in the tournament's history," the International Boxing Association (AIBA) said in a statement.
The World Boxing Championships will be held in 13 weight categories for the time in competition’s history.
Big names to feature at World Boxing Championships
There were changes in the weight classes in July from 10 to 13. The world boxing championships will feature AIBA world champions including Roniel Iglesias, Andy Cruz Gomez, Arlen Lopez, Julio La Cruz and Lazaro Alvarez. They all hail from Cuba.
Also Read: AIBA investigation finds match-fixing of boxing bouts at 2016 Rio Olympics
Other names to compete at the World Boxing Championships include Saken Bibossinov, Aibek Oralbay (Kazakhstan), Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov, Hasanboy Dusmatov and Shakhram Giyasov (Uzbekistan).
Also read: World Boxing Championships: Fans to make a return to marquee event
The second place finish will be given $50,000 and both the bronze medalists will be awarded $25,000 each.
"I believe that this World Championships will start a new chapter in AIBA's history. We have a record number of participants competing in 13 new weight categories, which is a sign of boxing's strength and extensive global development," said AIBA President Umar Kremlev.
He added:
"We are providing our athletes with the best opportunities to succeed and we will do our utmost to ensure a fair chance and fair fights for every participant. I am truly looking forward to the opening of the Championships in Belgrade," he added.
Meanwhile, the women’s World boxing Championships is scheduled to be held in early December in Istanbul, Turkey.
Also Read: Women's National Championships gold medalists to represent India at Worlds in December
