Deepak Bhoria loves to face a challenge

New Delhi, May 16

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World Championships bronze medallist Deepak Bhoria said fighting against top boxers “brings out the best in me”. Deepak upstaged Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and 2021 world champion Saken Bibossinov in the 51kg second round of the World Championships.

“When the other boxer is good, I feel that it will be a good bout. I try to up my game and play well. So, I play with that confidence against him. It brings out the best me,” Deepak said.

The 25-year-old, who had to overcome poor financial conditions and injuries to make it to the top, is among the 10 male pugilists in the country to have won a World Championships medal. “Finally, I have a World Championships medal. This will give me a lot of confidence for other tournaments,” said Deepak, who has now set sights on the Asian Games and Paris Olympics.

Deepak endured a challenging 2022 after he sustained a shoulder injury. “My time during rehab was very tough. I was also considering whether I should play or not,” he said.

Deepak will have to go through the Boxing Federation of India’s evaluation process to book his place in the upcoming Asian Games, which is the first Olympics qualifier for boxers from the continent. Deepak’s main rival will once again be Amit Panghal.