Manipur to witness 5 professional bouts

Imphal, Jan.16: For the first time in the history of boxing in Manipur, ten national and international professional boxers including state star Sarita Devi will display their best punches and moves at the well furnished Khuman Lampak Indoor stadium in Imphal on January 29.
Sarita will take part in the first bout with well known professional boxer Zsofia Bedo of Hungary followed by Som Bahadur Pun (India) versus Manop Siththiem (Thailand).
Interestingly Pinki Jangra (India) will take on Claudia Ferenczi (Slovakia), Vipin Kumar(India) versus Mubarak Seguya (Uganda). The fifth bout is between Siddharth Varma and National title holder Jaganathan (India).
This was announced by the functionaries of local support groups including Impact TV, a cable TV network, Editors Guild Manipur during a media briefing at Classic Hotel on Saturday evening.The professional bouts were planned after the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) approved Laishram Sarita as a professional boxer and she will become the sole professional boxer not only from the State but also from the whole of North East. Sarita’s first professional bout is being organised by the Indian Boxing Council and the Sports Solution.
As per a new regulation of the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA), professional boxers are no longer prohibited from returning to the amateur category at the State, National and International levels, says BFI vice president and Manipur Amateur Boxing Association secretary Khoibi Salam. Moreover, Sarita’s entry in the professional ring would help her advance her and enrich her experience.
Stating that his five years old dream of his better half turning into a professional boxer has been finally fulfilled, Sarita’s husband Thoiba Chongtham said Sarita who is targeting to represent India in International professional boxing competitions in 2018, has been undergoing vigorous training at Rohtak.