NEW DELHI: After putting up a strong fight against Italy’s Milano Thunder during its World Series Boxing (WSB) debut bout last week, Mumbai Fighters will next face Russian side Dynamo Moscow in their second Group A match on Friday in Perm, Russia.
The Fighters have got one point from their opening loss, and will travel to Russia for match two. The Fighters will not only be fighting the Russian boxers but also at a minimum of freezing -3 degrees celsius temperature.
Haryana’s Jitender Kumar will ply his trade in the bantamweight category against 2011 World Championships bronze medalist Anvar Yunusov, whereas Pune boy Siddharth Verma will make his lightweight debut against Eduard Husainov.
In the middleweight category, Hisar-born Mandeep Jangra will take on 2011 European champion Maxim Gazizov. Two foreigners will represent the Indian boxing team in the light heavyweight and heavyweight categories.
Croatian pugilist Marko Calic will make his WSB debut for Mumbai Fighters in light heavyweight category against Eduard Yakushev, while Trent Rawlins will don the black and golden of Mumbai Fighters in the heavyweight category as he takes on 2010 World University champion Arslanbek Makhmudov.
“The first bout gave us good exposure and we are going into the fight against Russia with confidence. I am sure the boys will perform well. They have worked hard. While the Russian weather and boxers will be a challenge, I don’t think anything can deter the hard work of our team. The Fighters are up for any challenge and we will grow with each bout,” said head coach Shiv Kumar Pal.
Mumbai Fighters had made an impressive debut in the WSB though they finished on the losing side in their opening Group A encounter against Milano Thunder. Line-up: 1) Anvar Yunusov vs Jitender Kumar 2) Eduard Husainov vs Siddharth Varma 3) Maxim Gazizov vs Mandeep Jangra 4) Eduard Yakushev vs Marko Calic 5) Arslanbek Makhmudov vs Trent Rawlins. (PTI)