There are only three Indian boxers at the Olympics, but they're capable of surprises

When the International Boxing Federation suspended the Indian Boxing Federation in 2012, it hampered the preparation of the Indian boxers for the Rio Olympics. The lack of facilities and the absence of national championships because of the suspension have meant that only three pugilists have been able to qualify for the Games this year – versus five at Beijing in 2008 and eight in 2012 at London. Meet the troika:

Shiva Thapa: Men’s Bantamweight (56 kg)

Next bout: Thursday, August 11, 8 pm IST, Round of 32

Shiva Thapa became the first Indian boxer to qualify for the Rio Olympics after he entered the Qualifying Tournament that was held in China earlier this year. The 22-year-old from Assam has accumulated 14 medals, including 10 gold medals from 16 national and international tournaments. He was the youngest boxer to qualify for the London Olympics, but was ousted in the first round.

A bronze medallist at the 2015 World Championships, Thapa has a tough opening encounter as he faces defending Olympic and former world champion Robeisy Ramirez from Cuba. The two faced off earlier in the finals of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, where the Cuban comprehensively defeated Thapa 5-2. Ramirez’s aggressive play, where he looks to attack both head and body simultaneously, could pose a few problems for the usually orthodox Thapa. However, a height advantage and an improved defence, along with nimble feet could work in the Indian’s favour.

If he is able to ward off Ramirez’s challenge, Thapa could face former bronze medallist Mykola Butsenko of Ukraine. With Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who won silver at the 2015 World Championships and 2013 world champion Javid Chelabiev also present in his half of the draw, the sixth-ranked Thapa will have to box out of his skin to bring India a medal in the bantamweight category.

Manoj Kumar: Men’s Light Welterweight (64 kg)

Next bout: Thursday, August 11, 2.45 am IST, Round of 32

Manoj Kumar became the second Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics, after Shiv Thapa, after he reached the semi-finals of the World Qualifying Tournament held in Baku in June. The winner of the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold, Kumar controversially lost in the pre-quarterfinals in London. He was the victim of dubious judging calls as he went down 20-16 and exited the ring after accusing the officials of cheating.

The 29-year-old Kumar, ranked sixth in the world, hails from Haryana and is the eldest of the three pugilists from India. Known for his hard aggressive style of punching, he faces a tricky first round opposition in Rio. Lithuania’s Evaldas Petrauskas, a bronze medallist in London in the light welterweight category, is known for his strategic punches and Kumar has to be on his guard.

However, with a wealth of experience to back him and the ability to study his opponents acutely before making a move, Kumar can prove to be a dark horse.

Vikas Krishnan: Men’s Middleweight (75 kg)

Next bout: Saturday, August 13, 3 am IST, Round of 16

Twenty-four-year old Vikas Krishnan qualified for the Olympics by advancing to the semi-finals of the qualifiers in Baku. He won the Youth World Championships and the Youth Asian Championships in 2010, aged just 18. His gold medal in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou catapulted him to fame and instant glory.

However, he controversially lost in the pre-quarters during the London Olympics in 2012. He had been declared the winner, but his opponent appealed to the world governing body and the decision was overturned. This affected Krishnan and he stayed away from the ring for more than a month. He returned with a vengeance, however, winning the bronze in the 2014 Asian Games and silver in the Asian Boxing Championships.

Competing in the middleweight category, the same category in which Vijender Singh won bronze in Beijing in 2008, the 24-year-old from Haryana has been sweating it out for months in preparation for his second Olympics. He would practise at odd hours in order to acclimatise himself to the time zone in Rio and even fight against heavier boxers to improve his agility and power. He has worked on improving his stamina in the months leading up to the tournament, and his wide array of technical punches should arm him well.

In the first round, Krishnan faced America’s 18-year-old Charles Conwell, the youngest boxer at the Games, defeating him comfortably 3-0. The sixth-ranked Krishnan displayed shrewd tactics as he started targeting his opponent’s torso after a range of uppercuts. Conwell was unable to break the Indian’s counterattack throughout the bout and eventually succumbed.

In the pre-quarters on Saturday, Krishnan will face Turkey’s Onder Sipal, who scraped through with a closely fought 2-1 win over Zambia’s Benny Muzio. With Muzio putting his height to full advantage, the Turkish boxer found it difficult to defend against his opponent’s punching. If all goes well, one can expect Krishnan to have it easy this weekend.