Interview with Malaysia’s 19-year-old Theena Thayalan Raja Selvan who will be debuting in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Tashkent next week

Malaysia’s new sensation in the sport is 19-year-old Theena Thayalan Raja Selvan who will be making his debut in a big event following his successes in the international AOB events. The promising boxer won the Tashkent Regional Boxing Championships as first Malaysian beating tough Uzbek boxers. The Malaysian teenager will be there at the welterweight (69kg) in the start of the upcoming ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Tashkent.
The young Malaysian trains in Uzbekistan in a common training camp to raise his skills and to be in top shape in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships. Thayalan trains with an Uzbek coach in Malaysia and competed already successfully in the country therefore his comeback to Tashkent was an exciting moment for the youngster who is a secret medal contender in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships.

– Congratulations to your previous gold medal in the Tashkent Regional Boxing Championships which you have done as first Malaysian boxer. What was your opinion about your opponents and the whole competition in Uzbekistan?
– My opponents were strong and all of them were Uzbek in Chirchik which is always difficult. These were my first international contests but I was able to beat all of my four Uzbek rivals including Dilmuradjon Bozorboyev in the final who won several events and he was more experienced than me. In the semi-final I knocked out my Uzbek opponent in the first round, Islombek Tursunboyev who is also a good name in the sport and he was the favourite to win the gold medal in the event.

– What is your opinion about Malaysia’s current boxing life?
– To be honest I think Malaysia is getting improved in the recent years but we need more facilities and competitions. Personally I think the upcoming Southeast Asian Games, which will be holding in Kuala Lumpur in August will support the country and boxing will be also in the focus during the event.

– When did you began your boxing career? How many bouts do you have in total?
– I began my boxing career five years ago in 2012 and since then I had 95 bouts mostly in Malaysia, in Singapore and in Indonesia. I had back problems in 2014 and needed a few months to recover and join back to the competitions.

– Who is your current coach in Malaysia and could you please tell us something about your training sessions?
– My current coach is Mr. Ilgar Aliev from Uzbekistan who supported to develop all of my technique and tactic in the recent two years. We focused to my strength and physical conditions firstly and I know I have to learn still a lot to reach my goals.

– Could you please describe your average training day?
– As usual I wake up at 7:30am and my training starts at 8am which is generally two hours long. After the lunch my second training session starts at 5pm until 7 and after the dinner I go to sleep at 10:30pm.

– Who is your boxing idol?
– My boxing idol is Mario Kindelan of Cuba who claimed a lot of titles in the Olympic Games, AIBA World Boxing Championships and other events when I was a young child.

– What do you expect in the upcoming ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Tashkent?
– We are here in a training camp in Tashkent since end of March and I hope I will be enough strong to get good result in the event. This will be the first time when I will be meeting with the top Asian rivals but I will try to do my best in Tashkent. I am expecting great was inside the ring during the championships.

– What is your main goal in the sport as elite boxer?
– I would like to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which would be a big step not only for me but Malaysia’s boxing life as well.