When the Indian boxing campaign begins on Monday at Aichi, it will be the first tangible test of where the programme of the country stands after the 2025 World Championships. At the Worlds, the men’s boxing events were a central Asia affair – Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, two countries that consistently churn out high-level, world-beating technical boxers – dominated the medals tally and didn’t allow a single country to win a gold medal. Since then, multiple World Cups, a World Cup finals, an Asian Championships, and a Commonwealth Games has come to pass. In the face of varying degrees of competition, the Indian boxing team has performed admirably, particularly the women’s team. But the Asian Games is the first true test of calibre that the Indians will face since the Worlds and starting off the campaign is Sumit Kundu.For Kundu the problem isn’t Monday, when he faces the Thai challenge of Paris Olympian Bunjong Sinsiri; rather the looming situation of Torekhan Sabyrkhan, the Kazakh boxer in his side of the draw, that elicits worry. Sabyrkhan, and his elder brother (who is in the 55kg category), are the consensus best boxers in Asia.Click here to read our Asian Games full coverageThe story is largely similar for many of India’s best. In what has been overall a tough draw, boxers including CWG champions Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar, Priya Ghanghas, Sachin Siwach and Ankush Panghal will face stiffer challenges in the Asian Games.Also Read | How Sonam Maskar’s dad sold land and shop to fuel Asian Games dreamIn the men’s 55kg division, CWG silver medalist Jadumani Singh faces a possible pre-quarters clash against Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Carlo Palaam. Palaam is a ferocious puncher, and one of the best boxers produced by a country that also gave the world Manny Pacquiao. And if Jadumani lives up to his name, there is Makhmud Sabyrkhan, the favorite to win the LA 2028 Olympic medal waiting for him in a possible semi-final clash.Perhaps none face a competition as stiff as what Sakshi will have to deal with. In the women’s 51kg, Chaudhary will face Philippines’ Paris Olympics bronze medallist Aira Villegas in her opener before she faces reigning flyweight world champion Alua Balkibekova of Kazakhstan in the pre-quarters. If she survives those, a possible meeting with Vietnamese boxer Nguyen Thi Tam, a constant thorn for Indian boxers awaits. Should she win, the other side of the draw offers China’s Wu Yu, or Thai pugilist Chuthamat Raksat – two familiar vanquishers of Indian boxers. A minefield of tough challenges in an Asian category, that provides World Championship-calibre opponents.Preeti Pawar and Huang Hsiao-wen of Chinese Taipei have been drawn in opposite half of the draw in the women’s 54kg division. Pawar has got a bye in the first round with a possible clash against Paris Olympics bronze medallist Pang Choi Mi of North Korea in the pre-quarters, an opponent she has yet to face. If she reaches the final, a possible matchup against Wen or Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist (51kg) Tsukimi Namiki of Japan or Paris Olympian Nigina Uktamova awaits.Also Read | Room allocation delays, long travel, accred woes: chaos greets athletes at NagoyaPriya Ghanghas’s rise has been meteoric but that rapid ascent gets seriously tested in Aichi over the next fortnight. A couple of Paris Olympians in the pre-quarters and quarters (Oh Yeon-ji and then Mijgona Samadova) start Ghanghas’ tough Asiad run. A possible semi-final clash could happen against Tokyo Olympics silver medalist and Paris Olympics bronze medallist (57kg) Nesthy Petecio.Story continues below this ad Lovlina Borgohain in action. (FILE photo)Parveen Hooda (65kg) faces a possible clash against 2025 World Championships silver medallist Navbakhor Khamidova in the quarters. If she gets past the Uzbek, a daunting mountain to climb against reigning world champion (65kg) Aida Abikeyeva of Kazakh in the semi-final can surface.For Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain, the eight-boxer 75kg draw pits her against 2024 World Cup final winner Seong Suyeon in the quarters. A win adds another Asian Games medal to the Olympic bronze medallists burgeoning kitty of medals. She then either faces 70kg world champion Natalya Bogdanova or 2025 Worlds bronze medallist Aziza Zokirova of Uzbekistan.Also Read | Compound Interest: Can India upstage Korea and Taiwan for mixed team gold?Medals hopes for menAll is not lost as both Sachin Siwach, Ankush Panghal have the possibility of medaling at the Asian Games based on their draw.Siwach walks into Aichi with a Commonwealth Games gold and plenty of confidence. He has a fairly decent draw until the semi-finals where he runs into the consensus favorite of the 60kg category in world number one and Paris Olympics champion Abdumalik Khalokov.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Why tuning is the most important aspect of Compound ArcheryAnkush Panghal, who has only recently become part of the national team and has a CWG gold to his name, faces a fairly relaxed opener but runs into some turbulence against the reigning 75 kg champion Fazliddin Erkinboev awaits the Indian before a possible final against former Asian champion Iashaish Hussein of Jordan or former youth world champion Sabirzhan Akkalykov of Kazakhstan.Kapil Pokhariya has a possible semi-final clash against reigning world champion Turabek Khabibullaev of Uzbekistan. In the 90+ division, Narender Berwal has an easy way to a medal getting a bye followed by a second round bout against Thai Adthapong Saegtep before a possible semi-final clash against world number one Kazakh Aibek Oralbay.