Asian meet silver medallist is unhappy he fought under AIBA flag, says he should have joined AIBA Pro league two years ago
Vikas Krishan can't get over the disappointment of losing to 19-year-old Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan in the final of the 75 kg category at the Asian Boxing Championship in Bangkok last week.
The Olympian, who rues that his "over-confidence" got the better of him, also regrets his decision of not joining AIBA Pro Boxing two years ago. Had he joined the pro league promoted by AIBA (International Boxing Federation), he would have become a much improved boxer by now. "We don't have any Indian representation. In those two leagues, four boxers are with WSB (World Series Boxing) and two in AIBA Pro. So, we lost six quotas in each category. It was a wrong decision on my part. I regret that decision. I should have joined it then. I did not participate in the Commonwealth Games last year because of an eye injury. I lost out on both sides."
However, Krishan is certain that he will be able to qualify for next year's Rio Olympics by participating in the world championships. Six Indians — Krishan (75 kg), L Devendro Singh (49 kg), Shiva Thapa (56 kg) and Satish Kumar (+91 kg), Madan Lal (52 kg) and Manoj Kumar (64 kg) — have qualified for the worlds.
"It will be difficult to qualify for Rio. The Indian boxers who are practising in national camps are targeting the second qualifier after the world championships. That would be easier for them because it's an Asian qualifier. The world championships are going to be tough. However, I would like to qualify by doing well there. That will help me get a higher seeding in my weight category," the Haryana lad said on Monday.
Krishan said that losing to Melikuziev was a great learning experience. "I was overconfident about the result, I thought he was nothing. I forgot that, at 19, I was an Asian Games gold medallist too. So I should have known that he could also be dangerous. Actually I don't even know how I managed to lose. No doubt it was the toughest bout of my career but I should have won it."
Krishan, who won a bronze at the world championships in 2011, is bothered about his fellow boxers as Boxing India still stands suspended by the world body. "Yes, we are suffering. We are taking part under the AIBA flag," he said. "When I went for the opening ceremony, I couldn't see my flag. There was an AIBA flag. And when I saw the final medals tally, there was no India. And when they announced my name after my bout, they said, silver goes to Vikas, from AIBA. How can anyone expect our boxers to do well in the wake of such little exposure. There is no road map for Rio."
Krishan has done his bit in justifying the tag of being Vijender Singh's heir apparent in the 75 kg category. But to win an Olympic medal like the now-pro boxer, he needs support from the national federation.
"I have written to the Kazakh federation for preparation. I haven't got any response from them. If I don't hear anything, I will go to Sheffield as I had benefited a lot by training in England," he said.
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