CHENNAI: Gurbax Singh Sandhu struggles to find the right words while narrating Vijender Singh’s pathbreaking feat during the 2008 Olympics. “He came to my corner and said ‘I’ve done it sir’. I’m not a person who gets emotional, but watching him climb onto the podium, I had tears in my eyes. It’s difficult to articulate how I felt then,” Sandhu, who was ringside, recalls.
That tear-inducing Goliath show by Vijender was just what Indian boxing needed. It has spurred many youngsters to take up the gloves and it remains a benchmark to this day. What’s fascinating was Vijender was a fairly unknown entity before the Games and he had barely managed to make the cut then.
Another Indian had also left a notable impression in Beijing. Known for his open guarded style, Akhil Kumar could not quite match Vijender’s bronze medal but he had captured the imaginations of many fans. Akhil had stunned then world champion Sergey Vodopyanov in the pre-quarterfinals. “Akhil was outstanding then. The Beijing Olympics was a notable one for us with three boxers (including Vijender) reaching the quarterfinals at least. We would just think of participation before the Olympics but after that, there was a rise in expectations,” Sandhu, who was the national boxing coach for over two decades, notes.
The attitude of Indians changed for good with Vijender going on to punch another first the very next year: he became India’s first men’s boxer to medal (bronze) at the Worlds. The next notable show was the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi where as many as seven Indians including Vijender climbed the podium. “The Beijing performance made the boxers and everybody else believe that we can perform at the highest level. Before that, if we said we are hoping for medals, people would scoff at us,” Brig PK Muralidhar Raja, who was secretary general of Indian Amateur Boxing Federation, the national governing body at the time, said.
Even though they had good build-up with support from the government and the now-defunct Mittal Champions Trust, it was not like how things are today. “Whenever they went out on a break, people would come up to them and ask for autographs. The boys started getting motivated because of that. The government also put boxing in priority list. We started getting more exposure tours and more organisations started to back the sport,” Raja said.
This is not to suggest that boxers before that period lacked conviction or were less talented. India had witnessed many spirited performances by boxers in the past. Names like Dingko Singh, Hawa Singh spring to mind.
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Coming from a humble background, MC Mary Kom was quietly climbing the ladder of success before the 2008 hit. Unlike Vijender & Akhil, Mary could not dream about Olympics then as women’s boxing was not part of the programme. Her talent was obvious but Mary mania was yet to catch fire. The inclusion of women boxers in Olympics could not have come at a better time as Mary entered the 2012 Olympics to return with a bronze medal. That added to her reputation. Despite fighting against taller and stronger opponents, she had made history. Like Vijender’s effort, that had just added to the boxing craze, especially among women. There are many youngsters who have defied societal pressure to pick up the gloves because of her exploits.
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Before the formation of Boxing Federation of India and the subsequent appointment of foreign coach Santiago Nieva, the sport was in doldrums. Because of infighting among the officials, the sport was banned by International Boxing Federation (AIBA) for around four years. And it was the boxers who bore the brunt. A lack of exposure tours meant their performance took a hit. Just three boxers at the Rio Olympics after a record mark (8) in the previous edition was a clear indicator that the sport had gone backwards. To make matters worse, India would lose BI Fernandes, the Cuban coach who’s had a big hand in refining boxers in the country.
It was no exaggeration to state that Nieva had big shoes to fill. Though it’s still early to come to a conclusion, that decision has turned out to be a positive one so far. The Argentina-born Swedish coach, along with CA Kuttappa and other coaches, have put emphasis on a scientific method of training — technique, strength-building exercises, nutrition and dealing with injuries. With the help of video-analysis, the bouts are studied closely. Nieva & Co would analyse the same and take notes, ensuring that every little detail is not missed.
Boxers are sent videos on a constant basis, with notes on where they went wrong. Nieva has also been persistently trying to make the boxers cerebral, be mindful inside the ring rather than just relying on their muscles. Bearing in mind that the scoring is quite a tricky matter, the AIBA three-star coach has also been trying to make the boxers retain calmness inside the ring and be prudent when it comes to throwing punches. “It’s vital to be smart inside the ring. Sometimes the boxers tend to throw too many punches, which means they’ll tire out sooner and won’t be able to perform in the late rounds. When it comes to throwing accurate punches, I feel everyone did quite well,” Nieva had told this daily while reflecting on performances of Amit Panghal & Co at the Asian Championships in May.
BFI also made the much-needed decision to appoint a dedicated foreign coach for the women’s camp. The arrival of Raffaele Bergamasco, along with Mohammed Ali Qamar, has ensured that the women are not overlooked. Unlike Nieva, Bergamasco was a known face as he had helped the youth women to make headlines during the Youth World Championships in 2017. Despite the initial language barrier, the Italian has managed to get the best out of the boxers, especially youngsters, with his easy-going attitude. There’s a genuine buzz this time as four women including Mary will be looking to etch their names in history books.
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It goes without saying the ongoing pandemic has turned the world upside down for many. The boxers suffered a great deal too with many of them contracting the virus. That naturally meant going into isolation. Like everyone else, they were unable to get tours as per plans. Even the Asian Championships, which India were supposed to host, was shifted to UAE at the eleventh hour.
How that would have affected their bodies, especially long-term, is anyone’s guess but they have been an optimistic bunch. The next few weeks should reveal how far Indian boxing has come.
Having made steady improvements since BFI came into existence in 2016, India’s 9-member boxing team taking part in Tokyo Olympics will be looking to build on the progress that the country made after Vijender & Co’s historic show at Beijing in 2008