Dubai:Bantamweight Shiva Thapa will look to become only the third Indian boxer to win a medal at an Olympics since Vijender Singh and Mary Kom, in Rio this summer.

Middleweight Singh and flyweight Kom both won bronze medals in 2008 and 2012 respectively.

Thapa, 22, from Guwahati in north eastern India, now says he’s ready to continue Singh and Kom’s legacy, to keep the tricolour flying high in Brazil.

He may have suffered a first round exit on his Olympic debut in 2012 — as India’s youngest competitor — but he went on to win bronze in last year’s World Amateur Championships in Qatar, and qualified to this year’s Olympics by finishing second in his Asian qualifier match in China in March. “I was disheartened after 2012,” said Thapa in an exclusive phone interview with Gulf News. “But people around me motivated me and taught me to learn something from it.

“You never sit back on a loss. I was only 18 and had qualified to the biggest sporting event in the world. That was big, but deep inside I had a feeling I could do better, and I’ve worked hard every day to get the chance to make up for it in Rio.

No self-doubt

“Over the past four years I’ve gained so much more confidence and I think I’m a much better boxer than I was in London. I’m mentally stronger and believe I’m a medal contender in Rio.

“It’s my ultimate dream to get the tricolor raised and the anthem playing with a medal around my neck.

“What Vijender and Mary achieved was historic for India and they changed the face of the sport here.

“Like them, I’m working hard every day to win a medal and make my country proud to let everyone know that India has the best boxers in the world.”

A potential threat to Thapa’s dream this summer is the controversial decision to allow professional boxers to fight alongside amateurs for the first time.

It’s the latest in a host of changes aimed at professionalising the amateur game, which includes scrapping headgear and reverting from computer scoring back to 10-point manual scoring, a move that will force fighters to be more aggressive.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) voted to allow professionals to compete earlier this month, with 95 per cent of member federations in favour.

A total of 26 places will be made available to professionals at a qualifying event in Venezuela next month.

The decision has been widely criticised by the boxing community, with fears it will create dangerous mismatches. But Thapa says he is relishing the opportunity.

“Amateurs fight over three rounds not 12 like the professionals, so we fight faster and start quicker. We are more in to speed, and we are better than them.

“Everyone should have the chance to prove themselves at an Olympics and a boxer should be ready to fight anyone at any time.

“I think this is a great step from AIBA because it means even if you go on to turn pro you can still compete.”

A good result at the Olympics would enable Thapa to turn professional and start repaying his father Padam.

“It really brings tears to my eyes when I remember my childhood. I have six siblings and only my dad works as my mum is a housewife.

“It was very difficult for my dad to run a big family with such little income [as a karate instructor] but at the same time, he gave everything he could for me and my elder brother Gobind, who is also a boxer. With hard work this is where we are today and that’s why I will work hard for the future as well. There will come a period where I will be able to recover everything we’ve been through in life.

‘As long as I can fight, I will’

“There’s no end game, I’m willing to fight for as long as my body allows me to. My ultimate dream is to turn professional. Now I’m just thinking about the Olympics, but sooner or later I will turn pro.”

Among Thapa’s many fans is legendary former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who recently tweeted his support to the youngster.

“He’s a great human being and an inspiration for many. It really gives you a boost to get some words of encouragement from him.”

But it will be the aggression of his other big inspiration Mike Tyson that Thapa hopes to harness in Rio.

“His aggression and will to win is what makes me crazy about him. The way he became a world champion so young, at the age of 20, is something that really inspires me.

“I’m working on improving my aggression. I fight more smart than crazy, with the ability to adapt to different plans depending on my opponent and how the fight goes. But aggression will really count much more now that they’ve changed the scoring system.”