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Indians take punch out of Boxing Day

NEW DELHI - Boxing Day isn't a day to put up your dukes and get into the ring, Indian boxing officials said on Friday.

NEW DELHI - Boxing Day isn't a day to put up your dukes and get into the ring, Indian boxing officials said on Friday.

Seeking to allay apparent confusion among boxing buffs, the Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) said the day after Christmas was named for the practice of putting gifts into boxes to be given to the underprivileged, not "the sweet science".

IBF Secretary-General Colonel P.K. Muralidharan Raja said he had received numerous queries from the public and the media about why the federation had not made any special arrangements to celebrate Boxing Day this year.

"This is to inform you all that "Boxing Day' has nothing to do with the sport of boxing," Raja said in an e-mail.

"Traditionally this was the day to open the Christmas Box and share the gifts with the poor," he said.

Boxing is growing in popularity in India and this year won a bronze medal at the Olympics and three at the boxing world cup. - Reuter

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