BENGALURU: Amateur boxing may have picked up in India, but opportunities and platforms for professional boxing remain unavailable. Former national-level boxer, Mujtaba Kamal aims to fix this by coaching over 40 boxers. Kamal, who has got assistance from Cult training academy, says he plans to guide these talents towards the international stage.
“A boxer, Satish Karthik, who participated in the junior world championship in 2017, didn’t receive any opportunity after that. After joining me six months back, he made a 3-0 record,”says Kamal, adding that another boxer under his guidance, Arshad Asif Khan, has developed a record of eight wins, two losses and one draw. He will compete for the IBO title in Philippines in December.
“I plan to acquire sponsors to organise events to build the profile record on Boxrec, which will allow them to participate in international bouts. Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Dubai want Indian boxers but the profile record has to be existent on Boxrec.”
Kamal, who lost his parents at a young age, went on to win medals and moved to Hong Kong in 2005, where he fought professional bouts and also did menial jobs.He now aims to promote professional boxing and Indian boxers. “I have scouted these boxers even from villages. They need exposure, fitness regimes and training knowledge. I want to give them an opportunity, as I wouldn’t want them to go through the hardships that I did. My goal is to change the face of professional boxing in India.”