A Weighty Issue

While most boxers prefer stepping down a category,with the goal of being the biggest in a lighter weight group,Singh’s,choice of moving up is unusual.

In fact at a post workout weight of 85,Singh is a lightweight in the heavyweight category. Singh,however,isn’t too worried. “It isn’t that much of a problem for me to move up a category. Being lighter than my opponent will mean that I will give away some punching power,but at the same time,I will be faster than them. That is something that has always been a strength for me,” the 27-year-old says.

What makes things easier is the fact that other than Asian Games silver medalist Manpreet Singh,. The category is relatively weak. “When you consider it,the nationals have nearly no competition in the light heavy and heavyweight categories. While the choice to move ultimately depends on the coaches because our goal is to win the championship title,I would have been confident of a medal regardless which category I was competing in,” says Singh.

Another reason for his lack of reluctance would also be that he hadn’t got as many opportunities as he would have liked in the light heavyweight. Originally behind Dinesh Kumar in the scheme of things,the arrival of Sumit Sangwan pushed him still further back. With Vijender Singh also planning a shift into light heavy,the division was clearly getting crowded.

While the 91 kg category will be a big jump,it won’t be the first time Singh has boxed in a higher weight category. A member of the Mumbai Fighters franchise of the WSB,he had featured in the 85 kg category. Although he fought just one bout,he won comprehensively 49-46 (four rounds to one).

The stint in the league has been beneficial. “Boxing in a semi-pro set up toughens you up. When you box for five rounds,the three rounds you have to do in the nationals seems very easy. It isn’t as if we don’t have five round bouts in the national camp,but the intensity is not the same. In Patiala if we feel out of sorts we can relax after three rounds or four rounds,but in the WSB you don’t have that opportunity,” he says.

At the same time,Singh admits that the setup at the Indian franchise also opened his eyes to the advantages,he enjoyed as an pure amateur. “The kind of coaches we have in India are at times under-rated. When we heard that Joe Clough was going to be in-charge of our team,we were very excited because he has a big reputation. But he didn’t even have an individual plan for us. If we were getting vulnerable in one strategy,he wouldn’t come up with another for us,” he says.

With that observation and also the fact that the Indian frachise not likely to feature this season,Singh has additional motivation to put in extra hours at practice. “My goal right now is to get back into the national camp at all costs. A good performance at the Nationals will make that possible,” he says.