New Buzz in the Ring

Hisar-born Madan Lal knows this very well. Lal could have been at the national camp last year itself — he had won a silver medal at the Tammer Youth Boxing Tournament last year and a gold at the Cuban training-cum-competition stint. And in the Nationals,he defeated 2006 World Cadet Champion Sunil Kumar in the 52kg final. But since it was an Olympic year,the quotas were already filled up and Lal lost out on a spot in the national camp. Lal is now gearing up for Hyderabad. The 21-year-old started boxing in Bhiwani under Jagdish Chand before shifting to Pune. The move,he says,has played a crucial role in his growth.

“Normally,Haryana boxers compete in higher categories. It was difficult to find a sparring partner in the 52kg category. I joined ASI in June this year. Since most of the Manipuri boxers are here,I have no problem finding sparring partners,” says Lal,a 2010 sub-junior national silver medallist.

Fresh faces galore

Another boxer who has come through the junior route is 18-year-old V Manikandan. The Chennai lad,who won gold medals in the 2009 and 2010 junior Nationals,lost narrowly to Shiva Thapa in the 56kg final in last year’s senior Nationals. Manikandan now trains under Railways coach Jaidev Bisht,who is also the assistant national coach.

“I started boxing only four years ago at the PAV Boxing Club,Chennai. I admire 2006 CWG Gold medalist Akhil Kumar. Last year when I reached the 56kg finals,I really wanted to win the title. The loss to Thapa has spurred me to work very hard. This year is very important since as I am aiming to join the national camp,” says Manikandan,whose father is a building contractor in Chennai.

The 64kg category has seen intense competition for a single spot in the Indian team. CWG gold medalist and London Olympics quarterfinalist Manoj Kumar,Asian Games silver medalist V Santosh and Vijender Singh’s cousin Balwinder all compete in this fiercely contested category. Mandeep Jangra,an 18-year-old who competes for Railways,hopes to add his name to that mix.

The Delhi youngster,a quarter-finalist at last year’s Asian Championship in Incheon,Korea,hopes to use his World Series of Boxing experience to cement his place in the Indian squad. Growing up in Hisar,Jangra started boxing under the tutelage of Haryana coach Sube Singh Beniwal,father-in-law of Akhil Kumar. “Initially I was in the 69kg category but then I decided to compete in 64 kg. I know the competition in this category is tough but I am counting on my WSB experience. I was not in the camp and I decided to join the Mumbai Fighters franchise. Playing without headgear helped my game a lot,” says Jangra.

Indian assistant coach and Railways coach Jaidev Bisht agrees. “We were looking for fresh talent and Manikanandan and Mandeep Jangra fit the bill. Manikanandan showed that in the final against Shiva Thapa last year and was unfortunate to miss the national camp. Mandeep has played in WSB and has played without headgear in the championships. He will have an advantage when the new rules concerning headgear come into effect next year,” says Bisht.

Filling Vijender’s gloves

Unlike the 64kg category,the 75kg category hasn’t seen too much competition in recent times,with Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Vijender Singh a dominant force for the last four years. But with Vijender considering a move to 81kg for next year’s World Championships,a chance opens up for the likes of Jaideep Singh,a 20-year-old from Neemli village near Bhiwani. Jaideep started under Raj Kumar Sangwan in Delhi and has won medals in the 2008 junior Nationals (56kg bronze),the 2009 junior Nationals (56kg gold) and the 2010 youth Nationals (60kg silver).

Last year,Jaideep moved up to the 75kg category. Narender Rana,Jaideep’s coach at ASI,Pune,says that his ward could fill the breach left by Vijender. “75 Kg is the trickiest category in boxing. One is neither a heavyweight nor a lightweight. Vijender has been competing in this category for the last four years and now that he said that he will compete in 81kg from next year,the category is wide open,” he says. “Jaideep’s biggest strength is his foot movement and he is a talent to watch out for 2016.”

If Vijender kept the Indian flag high in the middleweight category,Paramjeet Samota made headlines by winning super heavy titles. Now,22-year-old Uttar Pradesh boxer Satish Kumar has emerged as a serious challenger to Samota in the super heavy category,having lost only narrowly to him at last year’s Nationals. Satish joined the Army in 2010 and took up boxing two months later.

“I come from a farming family. Then I joined the army and was inducted into boxing. We had some good boxers in heavy-weight from the Army and I wanted to be like them,” says Satish.

Fight for the lights

With boxers like Manipur’s Devendro Singh,who impressed in London with his fearless display in the 49 Kg category,the Northeast dominates the lightweight categories. Coach Ibomcha Singh believes that Manipuri boxers take some time to adjust from the junior to senior level,since this transition usually coincides with a shift in base. “A lot of young boxers from the Northeast either join Railways or ASI when they turn senior. And it’s good for them. Every body needs a job. Initially at 18-20 years,they normally don’t do well in Nationals. Devendro was an exception. But it helps them in the longer run,” says Dronacharya awardee coach Ibomcha Singh.

2006 CWG gold medalist Akhil Kumar,who has been present in every national camp since,believes that more youngsters should be inducted but with a a pre-condition of trials for every boxer in the camp. “I believe that youngsters will benefit if we have trials every 3-4 months for the national camp. It will put pressure on senior boxers and nobody will take his place for granted. Some youngsters lose in the earlier rounds in the Nationals and cannot join the camp. This should change. For Rio,we have to think fresh and induct fresh training programmes,” says Akhil.

National youth coach G Manoharan agrees,and says that the next two years will see the rise of a lot more junior boxers. “We have Naveen Kumar and Sandeep,silver and bronze medallists in the World Junior Championships,and LP Prasad and Dheeraj Singh,who won gold and a silver at the Tammer tournament in Finland,” says Manoharan. “These boxers will graduate to the senior level next year and compete for spots in the Commonwealth and Asian Games and even next year’s World Championships and Asian Championships.”

Gen Next

52kg— flyweight

This category,in which Suronjoy Singh is a regular,is expected to see the largest number of young boxers emerge in the next four years. ASI’s Madan Lal,the reigning national champion,is known for his swift movements and claimed the title with a win over 2006 World Cadet Champion Sunil Kumar of Haryana last year. Apart from Lal,Delhi’s Sandeep Malik is expected to shine in this year’s nationals.

64kg— light welter

Crowded with a number of international medal winners,this category will include the likes of Asian Championship quarter-finalist Mandeep Jangra (above) and A Meitei of Manipur. Jangra,who was a regular in 69 Kg in the junior circuit,moved to the 64 Kg category last year and won the title. Jangra has been part of the World Series of Boxing and has been working under national assistant coach and Railways coach Jaidev Bisht.

75kg— middleweight

The category is wide open with Vijender Singh planning to shift to the 81kg category next year. Jaideep Singh of ASI,who represented Bihar last year,is expected to face a tough challenge from national camp regulars Kuldeep Singh and Jai Singh Patil. But Jaideep is known to counter the seniors with his straight punches and swift movement,a not-so-common trait among heavy weight boxers. Jaideep has claimed titles regualrly in the junior as well as youth Nationals.

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