With changed technique, Shiva Thapa returns to the ring for Asian Games

[∆VERON∆™]

“I’m blessed,” says Shiva Thapa, effectively underplaying both the time spent proving his relevance and the gumption which got him in the Asian Games squad. “Ups and downs, doubts will always be part of the life. But even during my downfall, I had to believe that there was a way back. I feel lucky getting back in the mix.”

Thapa is still only 24. But there’s a reason the boxer, who broke out with silver medals at youth worlds and youth Olympics eight years ago, talks like a veteran on the final stretch. Two defeats to upstart Manish Kaushik cost Thapa the 60kg Commonwealth Games berth. Kaushik clinched silver, and suddenly Indian boxing’s new order threatened to pass by the former poster boy.

“It’s about those nine minutes. If you’re not 100 percent fit and prepared for those nine minutes, your four years go down the drain,” says Thapa. “After the CWG miss, I had to keep faith and work harder on myself, which helped me get the performances.”

Last week, Thapa won a bronze at the Ulaanbaatar invitational tournament. In April, he lined up for the Indian outfit in the semi-professional World Series of Boxing and pulled off a gutsy five-round victory over Russia’s Shamil Askerov. The clincher, however, came on Friday, defeating Kaushik convincingly in the trials and taking the head-to-head between the two to two-all.

Thapa, who describes the relationship between the two as “in-ring rivals, but respectful colleagues out of it”, took the fight to the counter-attacking 22-year-old. “From the opening bell, it was about dominating,” Thapa said. In an all-important fight like this, I had to put pressure on Manish and not give him time for counterattacks.”

Praising the “high-quality bout,” coach Santiago Nieva said Thapa showcased improved basics and ring awareness. “He’s a world-class boxer but there were little things to take care of. Till last year, he would only aim for the head. Now he realises the importance of body shots and mixes it up. He doesn’t go off-balance while throwing either,” says Nieva. “Tactically he’s better, but more importantly, the hunger he showed in the gym and in training kept him in the fray always. After missing Commonwealth, it became his mission to get back to the top.”

Thapa’s comeback has been all about recalibration. After achieving most of his success — world championships bronze medal, a gold and a bronze at Asian championships and two Olympic appearances — in the bantamweight (56kg) division, Thapa decided to move up to lightweight (60kg). The transition began promisingly at last year’s Asian Championships, with a semifinal win over Rio Olympic bronze-medallist and reigning Asiad champion Dorjnyambuu Otgondalai. But the speedy 5’6″ boxer would be outmuscled by stronger, more adept opponents. The ‘ten-point’ rule change circa 2015 didn’t help matters either.

“Boxing has changed from when I started. Now, it’s about scoring points through quantity and aggression. You have to dominate and throw a lot of punches,” says Thapa. “That transition, along with the weight division switch, was tough initially but the more you compete, the faster you learn. I had to work on the physical aspect, the power a lot. But I have performed at the international level now and feel comfortable as a lightweight.”

Making the cut
Kaushik became the only boxer from the dominant Gold Coast men’s contingent to lose his spot. Vikas Krishan (75kg) and Manoj Kumar (69kg) will lead the squad which includes Amit Panghal (49kg), Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Husammuddin (56kg). National champion Dheeraj Rangi made the 64kg cut with a win over Rohit Tokas in the trials. Solanki and Hussamuddin won gold last week at the Chemistry Cup in Germany, while Panghal and Rangi took bronze. Interestingly, Mandeep Jangra won the gold in Ulaanbaatar but failed to secure even a trial for the 69kg against Manoj, who lost in the quarterfinals in Germany.

Among the women, Sarjubala Devi defeated 2014 CWG bronze medallist Pinki Jangra on Friday to secure the 51kg berth. Sonia Lather (57kg) and Pavitra (60kg) will be the other contenders.