BackIndia’s growing fight club
India’s growing fight club
Premium(From left to right) Bhagwan, Devendro Singh, Vikas Krishan, Manoj Kumar, Shiva Thapa. Photographs by Pradeep Gaur/Mint
Now when we go abroad for competitions, we are looked at as the ‘Cuban’ boxing team," says 18-year-old Indian boxer Shiva Thapa.
Indian boxing, which stuck its foot in at the Olympic door four years ago with Vijender Singh’s bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, is now pushing the door wide open. The Indian boxing team for the 2012 Olympics starting 27 July is not a small bunch of fighters looking to punch above their weight—they are now a force to reckon with, respected and respectful, eager to stamp their authority. None of these men appear overawed by the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t doing everything to prepare as best they can.
Thapa is the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics—a feat he achieved at the recently concluded Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Kazakhstan, to become part of a contingent of seven boxers that will fight it out at the London Olympics. Seven boxers may not sound like a revolutionary jump from the five that went to Beijing. But this time, each one is a medal hope, a serious contender.
The man who started it all, Vijender Singh, has come a long way himself. From the young hopeful at Beijing who was looking to do better than his debut at Athens in 2004, under the guidance of seniors such as Akhil Kumar, he is now the leader of the young troop.
“I see myself in Shiva Thapa," says 26-year-old Singh. “At 18, he is going for his first Olympics, like I did at Athens in 2004."
Singh is by far the most experienced in the contingent, but he plays down his seniority. “It’s good if they look up to me," he says. “I had people I looked up to when I went to Beijing. I have spent all of last year training with these boys, and we discuss any problems they have. But at the end of the day, this is an individual sport and I feel all of them are capable of doing well."
As Singh looks forward, many still look back at the day it all began.
In the post-Beijing era, the successes have been quick and rich. Young men who joined the national set-up only a couple of years ago are now the core of the Indian team to London.
This generation bears the marks of a confidence that was missing before, the kind of confidence the likes of Singh help breed, and with success all around, it has almost become institutionalized. Like Vikas Krishan (69kg), who burst on to the scene with a gold at the 2010 Asian Games, his first senior competition, and followed it up with a bronze at the World Championships, only the second Indian boxer to do so after Singh in 2009. Now, he will look to go one step further.
“Olympics is just a name. Why should I be scared just because it’s the Olympics?" 20-year-old Krishan says. “People build up the Olympics too much in their heads and feel pressured, but it will have the same boxers there, isn’t it? They will have two hands and I have two hands. What’s there to be scared of? Largely, the boxers I have faced in the World Championships will be in London as well. I have beaten several of them before and I can do it again."
Krishan’s rise has been meteoric but his career is barely two years old. So far, he has only seen success. Isn’t he afraid that the trough is just around the corner? “I haven’t seen any downfalls yet in my career," Krishan concedes, “but that’s not scary. Rather, it’s a motivation for me. It tells me that if I try, I can get results."
Krishan has already visualized what it will be like to be in the ring at the Olympics.
“I have been to the London Boxing Arena where the Olympics will be held. I looked at the stage area, the seating plan," he says. “I can imagine what it will be like."
For now, the boy from Bhiwani, Haryana, who is often described as boring because of his defensive style of boxing, is busy taking “attacking" tips from his mentor Manoj Kumar, who is also travelling to London. Kumar (64kg), who qualified with Krishan at last year’s world championships, returns the compliment to his younger teammate: “Every boxer has his talents. Vikas has the speed and sharpness that even I want to learn from."
The camaraderie within this group is perhaps its biggest strength. Most of them come from economically challenging backgrounds, with family members helping them pursue their dreams.
“My brother Rajesh sowed the Olympic dream in me when I was still young," says 25-year-old Kumar. “I remember during the 2000 Olympics, Indian boxer Jitender’s picture was published in the paper. My brother showed me that picture and said ‘this is where you have to be one day’."
The 2012 Asian Olympic Qualifier gold medallist Sumit Sangwan too credits his brother for the role he has played in his life and career. Sangwan’s brother gave up boxing because the family could only afford to have one of them involved in the sport. Today, Sangwan, 19, has kept the faith by qualifying for the Olympics. Perhaps now, with the economic situation easing a bit, he can also encourage his brother to get back to his first love. “He might return to boxing now. He still has age on his side at 22. It will be great if he can start again," says Sangwan.
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