Boxing is getting a lot of attention now, thanks to India’s performance in the Beijing Olympics. The success of the National Championship and the enthusiasm shown by the spectators are enough proof to show the new-found interest in the sport in the country. Y. B. Sarangi reports.
The impressive performance of the Indian boxers in the Beijing Olympic Games has seen an unprecedented rise in the interest for boxing and the enthusiasm was very much in evidence during the 55th National Championship in Bathinda, Punjab.
The boxers fought with a lot of passion and the fans also looked to be more interested than ever before. Railways, despite the absence of some of its star boxers, managed to hold on to its title by beating Services by a solitary point (50-49).
Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh had left the Railways months before his trip to Beijing and the Railways team paid for it as it could not retain the gold in the 75kg competition. Another gold medal which the champion team would have liked to hold on to was the one in 51kg category — Jitender Kumar, who won it last year, decided to take a break after the hectic preparation for the Beijing Olympics.
Even though Akhil Kumar has been missing the Nationals for four years, the Olympic quarterfinalist was another boxer who could have helped the Railways win the 54kg gold had he competed.
Before the championship the Railways coach, Jaidev Bisht, had acknowledged that the absence of star boxers would affect the team and this was proved by the fact that Railways won the championship by just one point. “It had to become close when some top boxers are not playing for you,” said Bisht.
Due to some lacklustre performances of its boxers, Services could not take advantage of a weakened Railways team. Among the prominent Services boxers, Arjuna Award winner Varghese Johnson was beaten in the pre-quarterfinals and Sanjay Kotle fell in the semifinals. Three of Services boxers reached the final but failed to win the gold.
The championship saw the emergence of Punjab as a strong force in the sport as the host team captured three gold and two bronze medals.
The Chief National Coach, Gurbax Singh Sandhu, thinks that the sport is getting a lot of attention after India’s sterling performance in the Olympics. “A lot of new things were seen in this year’s Nationals. You normally see gold medals being shared by Railways and Services only. But it did not happen this year and that means the sport is spreading,” he said.
“Besides, one saw a change in approach. The boxers were enthusiastic and put in their best effort. This is because of the rewards and media attention that boxers like Vijender, Akhil and Jitender got (after their performances in the Olympics). So many parents are showing interest to initiate their kids into the sport,” Sandhu added.
But, sadly, the enthusiasm does not match the bench strength. Experts feel a gulf is there to be bridged between the best and the rest. “The second line is weak. They are not as good as the top. There is a need to groom the younger lot,” Bisht said.
“The scene has improved a lot. But other boxers have to work much harder to catch up with the elite ones,” remarked Sandhu.
Notwithstanding its success, the 55th Nationals witnessed an unpleasant episode when Manoj Kumar of Railways, leading by five points against Som Bahadur Pun of Services, was disqualified just before the completion of their 64kg quarterfinal bout.
One of the most respected referees in the country, G. Nagpurwala, was under the scanner for giving the controversial decision as Railways filed a protest. The jury saw the video replay and decided in favour of a rematch. However, Pun did not turn up for the rematch and Manoj Kumar got a walkover and eventually the gold medal.
Meanwhile, one of the Railways’ coaches, D. Devan, was suspended on disciplinary grounds for his involvement in the incidents following the disqualification of Manoj.
Another minor incident left the Jharkhand camp red-faced as four of its boxers were disqualified for not honouring the ‘borrowing’ procedures properly.
The Nationals, however, ended on an optimistic note with the Indian Boxing Federation roping in Bollywood action star Sanjay Dutt as the brand ambassador of the sport. It proved to be the icing on the cake as the championship drew large number of fans on the final day.
Dutt’s presence was not the only delight for the home fans. The real good news for them came after the star’s departure as Kuldeep Singh of Punjab put up a valiant fight against Manjeet of Haryana to win the 75kg gold and bag the ‘Best Boxer’ award as well.
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