Boxing activities have come to a halt in Tamil Nadu for a while due to infighting between the two factions in the Tamil Nadu State Boxing Association (TNSBA).
With the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) showing its disapproval for the Association[s] bringing two teams for the previous Senior Nationals, the two TNSBA factions buried their egos and conducted a common trial to select the State boxers for the recently-concluded Senior National championships in Vijayanagar.
With no proper camp for all the TN boxers who were selected for the Senior Nationals, the State didn’t do well, barring P. Gowthaman, son of a labourer working in a leather company. The 23-year-old was the lone medallist as he bagged a bronze medal in the Cruiserweight category (80-86 Kg).
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Gowthaman, pursuing Masters in Social Work from GTN College (Dindigul) was thrilled to get his first medal at the Senior Nationals in three attempts but lamented that had there been a camp he would have produced a better result. “Had there been a camp I would have definitely won gold. If I get a Government job I will be able to concentrate and perform better and win medals for my State and country,” he said.
Coached by Saravanan (Keshava Prasath and Manikandan) in Chromepet, Gowthaman uses powerful punches for his height (5 feet 6 inches), is not afraid of reputations on the ring, and has the potential to get better, according to Olympian V. Devarajan, a BFI selector.
Devarajan believes that a bright future awaits Gowthaman.
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