Punch with a foreign flavour to be served tomorrow
Sri Lanka will host an international boxing meet after a lapse of more than four decades with the Amateur Boxing Association having finalized arrangements to conduct the international boxing meet involving ten countries, scheduled to be worked off from April 28 to May 2, at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium.
This will be the first ever time that Sri Lanka will be hosting a boxing meet that involves ten countries with the last international boxing meet conducted by the ABA being 46 years ago in 1967, when the Asian boxing meet was held, which had four countries taking part.
The competition will see the participation of 70 pugilists from 10 countries in both the men’s and women’s categories. The competing countries are Australia, Belgium, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and host Sri Lanka.
The international boxing meet will see the countries clashing for the Lion’s International Cup where the men will compete in seven weight categories and the women in three. Sri Lanka, as hosts, will be fielding two teams led by Anuruddha Ratnayake and Suresh Hettiarachchi.
The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held at 3.00 p.m. on April 28 and thereafter 17 preliminary bouts will be worked off on the first day. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are scheduled to be worked off on April 29 and 30 and the final ten bouts will be held on May 2 followed by the closing ceremony.
The meet will begin at 3.00 p.m. each day with May 1 being a rest day.