All but written off after a string of injuries wrecked havoc on his career four years ago, enigmatic boxer Akhil Kumar on Wednesday staged a remarkable comeback to make the 10-member Indian men’s team for the Asian Games scheduled to be held from September 19 in Incheon, Korea.

The 33-year-old, who rose to fame in the bantamweight 56kg category, has moved up a division to 60kg for the September 19 to October 4 event, the two-day trials for which ended in Patiala today.

“I am back and I promise temperature inside the ring will go up when I step in,” the boxer, known for his daredevil style of fighting with an open guard, told PTI after his selection.

In the women’s team, five-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) has made the cut, putting behind the disappointment of her omission from the Commonwealth Games squad. She had lost to eventual bronze-medallist Pinki Jangra in the trials. CWG silver-medallist L Sarita Devi took the 60kg spot as expected.

But the star of the day was undoubtedly the comeback-man Akhil, a 2006 Commonwealth Games gold-medallist and 2008 Olympic quarter-finalist, who had been laid low by a string of injuries, which forced him to skip the trials for the 2012 London Olympics.

But the experienced pugilist’s never-say-die spirit finally paid off as he impressed one and all at the Asian Games trials in Patiala.

Akhil got the better of medallist Vikas Malik in a convincing manner before winning the final bout against Rohit Tokas today.

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