Santiago Nieva appointed new boxing coach for Indian men’s team

New Delhi: The International Boxing Association’s coaches commission vice-chairman Santiago Nieva will be India’s new foreign coach for male boxers, filling a position left vacant by Cuban BI Fernandes in 2014.

“Mr Nieva has been recommended by AIBA to us and he comes with good experience. I am confident of good results,” Boxing Federation of India (BFI) President President Ajay Singh told PTI.

Nieva, an AIBA three star coach, was attached with the Swedish men’s team until last year. He quit the position after the Rio Olympics.

The Sweden-based Nieva, who even represented Argentina during his competitive days, is being brought on board till the World Championships this year after which the federation will take a call on the extension of his contract.

The World Championships are scheduled from August 25 to September 3 in Hamburg, Germany.

He will be arriving in India on Monday and will immediately take charge in Patiala, where one of the two national camps is currently being conducted.

“Mr Nieva is originally from Argentina and he will take charge immediately. Our second camp is going on in Aurangabad but we are pruning the number of boxers from 80 to 60 for one consolidated camp. So there will be only one camp and the venue for it will be decided soon,” BFI Secretary General Jay Kowli said.

The 42-year-old, a former bantam and featherweight boxer, served as the Swedish national coach for eight years and was inducted into the AIBA coaches commission in 2015.

Nieva has also served as a manager of the Argentine boxing team and even competed for the country at the 1997 World Cup.

His appointment in India comes just days before the trials for next month’s Asian Championships. The event is scheduled to be held from April 30 to May 7 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Nieva’s arrival will fill the foreign coach’s position that had been lying vacant after Fernandes left the scene.

The Cuban was suspended for his aggressive role in the infamous Asian Games meltdown of L Sarita Devi in 2014.

India did not get a foreign coach after Fernandes left the country soon after the Asiad fiasco.

The current national camps are being held under the tutelage of S R Singh (Patiala) and Shiv Singh (Aurangabad). The federation is also looking to bring in a foreign coach for the women boxers but no name has been finalised for the job yet. In another development, BFI President Singh has been elected member of the Asian Boxing Confederation.

“This is not about me, it is about the country. They are recognising India as an important nation and that’s what matters,” Singh said, responding to his appointment.