2008 Olympic Games page 

India sits on the verge of claiming its first ever Olympic boxing medals as the 51kg and 75kg quarterfinals are set to take place on Wednesday at the Workers' Gymnasium.

Ever since India first sent seven boxers to the Olympic Games in 1948 it has constantly failed to reach the medal rounds of boxing in all 12 editions of the Olympics it has participated in. Now Jitender Kumar (51kg) and Vijender Kumar (75kg) have the chance to break the mould for the world's second most-populous country.

Pic: Vijendar Kumar has looked in impressive form throughout the Games

McWilliams Arroyo Acevedo (PUR), the 2007 PanAm Games champion, and the 2005 world championship silver medallist Andris Laffita Hernandez (CUB) will start proceedings at 19:00 with the first 51kg quarterfinal before Jitender Kumar takes on the experienced Russian Georgy Balakshin, who out of four world championships and an Olympic Games has never passed the quarterfinal stage.

The bout of the day, however, will feature the Asian Games 75kg champion Elshod Rasulov (UZB) against the Pan American champion and 2005 world championships bronze medallist Emilio Correa Bayeuax CUB.

Vijender Kumar will contest the last bout of the evening against Ecuador's Carlos Gongora.

Semifinal stats to date:
Total boxers: 36
Total countries represented: 19 (Armenia, Azerbaijan, China (IV), Cuba (VI), Dominican Republic, France (III), Great Britain (II), Ireland (II), Italy (II), Kazakhstan (II), Korea, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia (II), Russia (II), Thailand, Turkey, USA, Ukraine (II))