Silver lining

But sometimes,Vijender ditches his boxing buddies to rush to the airport and get on a flight to either Delhi or Mumbai. Advertisement shoots,talk show appearances,chief guest invitations and Page 3 photo-ops have ensured that life for India’s Beijing Olympics hero isn’t just confined to the ring. Vijender isn’t apologetic about his engagements,nor is national coach GS Sandhu,in-charge of the pre-world meet training camp,complaining.

“Whatever I am,I am due to boxing. I know that very well. Entertainment and movies are secondary,” says Vijender. Sandhu is on the same page when he points out: “Vijender has hardly missed a training session. I think boxing needs to connect with the general public and Vijender is exactly doing that.”

Sandhu’s comments are a far cry from the usual utterances of old-school boxing coaches who look down upon all activities away from the sporting arena. The reason behind this is that despite the changing profile of Indian boxers,the good old guru-chela tradition is very much alive in the ring. The other day,for example,when Sandhu’s son met with an accident in Chandigarh,the entire boxing squad — Vijender included — camped all night at the hospital.

But Sandhu isn’t just being an indulgent teacher; he is conveying the general mood in boxing circles these days. The medals and headlines have meant that players from the past,who played during the pre-Beijing dark era,can’t hide their excitement either. There seems to be no bitterness about missing out on the boxing revolution as they applaud the results and comparative riches of today’s stars.

THAT TOP-10 FEELING

LAST week,when AIBA (international boxing association) released its top-10 list,Rajkumar Sangwan rang up three former team mates,Rajendra Prasad,Devrajan and Bishnu Sahai,to tell them about India’s giant stride. The four were the last Indian boxers to be on that elite list before Vijender Kumar (2nd),Th Nanao Singh (5th),Dinesh Kumar (6th) and Akhil Kumar (9th) made their mark.

Sangwan,the last Indian boxer to win gold at the Asian Boxing Championship before Suranjoy Singh repeated the feat this June,is elated by India’s sudden surge. “The fact that it has come after a gap of more than 15 years is heartening. After 1994,we had many good boxers like Dingko and Gurcharan,but they never figured in the AIBA top 10. Rajendra’s achievement was quite huge for us as he had figured on the list in the first year of rankings. The current batch of boxers has been doing well in the international arena for some time now and big things lie ahead for them in future,” Sangwan says.

Because of their high rankings,the Indians will have relatively easy outings before the quarter-final stage at the world championships starting in Milan on Tuesday. There are other fringe benefits as well. “A good ranking makes a difference in your approach. You feel relaxed but charged up. The fact that four of our boxers are in the top-10 means that we’re in contention in most weight categories,” says Sangwan.

PERKS FOR ALL

Watching Vijender & Co in their air-conditioned rooms at the NIS hostel is a good indicator of boxing’s turnaround — a huge improvement from the spartan conditions of the 90s that Sangwan and his team mates had to endure. New kid on the block,2008 world youth champion Nanao,is busy playing a combat video game on his brand new laptop. The only other noise in the room is from the keyboards of those chatting online. The gizmos are symbolic of boxing’s financial leap.

Nanao gives Vijender a lot of credit for the change. “His bronze medal has worked wonders. For most of us,boxing happened by chance when we joined the Army. But looking at the recognition and other benefits,more young boxers are getting serious about the sport,” he says.

Four of the boxers in the Indian team have been promoted by the Haryana government. “We do not crave for money but as the sport is growing,our earnings too are growing. Suranjoy and I were honoured in Delhi by Manipur authorities after the Asian Boxing Championship. Financial security has also meant that there is no additional pressure,” says Nanao.

But while admitting a lot has changed since the Olympics,poster-boy Vijender doesn’t want to take any credit for it. “It’s a collective effort. We all are happy that each of us has been performing well at the Asian and European levels. A lot depends on our generation. We have to keep winning medals at international tourneys to inspire youngsters,” he says.

The party has just started for the boxers as 2010 will see the launch of the World Series of Boxing — an enterprise similar to cricket’s franchise-modelled Indian Premier League. With electronics company Videocon bagging the rights for the Indian team,the country will be in the thick of things. “More glamour will come into the sport which will only see more youngsters taking the sport,” says Suranjoy.

WSB’s financial rewards,however,come with a rider. The boxers who join the series cannot participate in Asian Games,World Cup or world championships. Olympics will be their only opportunity to represent the country in a major international event. But coach Sandhu isn’t worried. “I’m sure the boxers will take the decision keeping all things in mind. With some of them signing for WSB,a wider pool will be created. That will also mean more opportunities for the reserve boxers. The good thing is that WSB will be every year,so those who join it will be match-fit before the Olympics,” says Sandhu.

National coaches have scarcely been known to talk in this vein. Clearly there are no dark clouds,only a silver lining,after Vijender’s Beijing bronze medal.