In the ring of recognition
CHENNAI: A decade of staying away from the comforts of home, braving sleepless schedules and battling economic hardships has finally paid off for Karthik Sathish. The pugilist recently bagged the silver lightweight title at the WBC Asian Boxing Council championship held in Hyderabad in December. He defeated Hero Tito of Indonesia in a hard-fought eight-round encounter.
Now, Karthik is currently training under renowned coach Kamal Mustafa in Bengaluru while working as a trainer at a fitness centre. “I’m the first Indian to win this title under the specific category. But unlike other mainstream sports, boxing and boxers seldom get their due. A sport that’s celebrated and rewarded in other countries still lacks basic recognition and support in ours,” says the Villivakkam resident who moved to Bengaluru in 2008 to pursue amateur boxing.
The journey
Like most kids, Karthik’s first choice of sports was cricket. His tryst with boxing was rather accidental when he chanced upon an elderly man teaching boxing to a few students in a playground where he practised cricket every day. “After initial training, I moved to the Army Public School in Bengaluru in 2008. I represented the sub-junior national team. I was the first Tamil Nadu athlete to play in the under-19 world championship. These tournaments offered me great exposure. I got to interact with and learn from players from other regions of the country,” details the 25-year-old.
Karthik made his debut in professional boxing last January, just two months prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns. “I’ve taken part in over 100 matches at district, state and national levels so far. Boxing is an individual game and implementing the right techniques is important to win. Playing the sport improves your muscle memory, helps to control emotions and instills discipline. I’ve been fortunate to work with coaches and therapists who also emphasise the mental health and well-being of boxers besides physical strength,” notes Karthik who wants the same for the budding boxers.
High hopes
Chipping in, Logachandran J, one of Karthik’s well-wishers and trainers during his early days of initiation into the sport, says, “Recently, after watching the Tamil film Sarpatta Parambarai, more people have shown interest towards the game. For long, North Madras has been celebrated as the hub of boxers and boxing academies, as many talents have emerged from here and made success at national and international levels. I train about 118 students at Sharma Nagar Corporation Ground in Vyasarpadi every day. Parent’s perception of the sport has changed for the good and more kids have enrolled,” says a hopeful Logachandran, founder, The King Makers Academy.
Despite the spike in interest and awareness towards the sport, the ground realities and challenges encountered by players persist. “We need more sponsorships to buy equipment for children. So far, the prime reason behind taking up this sport is to get a job under the sports quota. But unfortunately, not many boxers are able to make the best use of it. Most often, it takes a long time for players to obtain the certificates and medals after winning matches at various levels. So even if a candidate clears the physical test and written exam, without certificates of participation in tournaments, it’s not possible to get the desired cutoff for the job. This situation has to improve,” suggests Logachandran.
Meanwhile, amid the existing struggles, Karthik dreams of taking professional boxing to a world-class level and setting a fine example for upcoming players. “My dream is to win a medal in the Olympics. Unless you make it really that big, investors don’t show much interest in spending money on boxers or boxing-related events. We need to go that extra mile and accomplish that feat to even be noticed,” he requests.
To support, call: Logachandran J at 7299487686.