Senior pugilists will be seen in action at the NTR memorial state boxing tournament being held on the premises of Koretipadu Municipal High School here from January 22. The tourney being held after many years in Guntur has attracted many senior boxers.
Tourney organising committee chairman Mannam Subba Rao said that all arrangements were in place for the tourney which would be inaugurated by Minister for Agriculture Prathipati Pulla Rao.
A professional boxing ring as per the specifications of Boxing Federation of India has been installed on the school premises. The ring with dimensions of 22 X 24 feet is built on a wooden platform supported on an iron railing. A 1.5 inch foam bed has been laid to add comfort to the boxers. “Installation of a boxing ring has been a dream for the pugilists from Guntur and Vijayawada and we have missed many opportunities to hold bouts as we did not have a ring. Now, Guntur becomes only the second city after Visakhapatnam to have a professional boxing ring and we have put our best efforts in ensuring the pugilists would have all the facilities,'' said senior Boxing NIS Coach R. Viswanath.
Senior TDP leader Mannam Subba Rao, MD of Sanjeeveni Slim and Health Clinic Dr. Anjaneyulu and senior pugilist L. Nageswara Rao have contributed in their own way in installing the boxing ring.