It isn’t easy being a boxer. But then, Akhil Kumar isn’t one to take the easy way out.Having battled several injuries, including a career-threatening wrist injury, the bantamweight boxer knows what it takes to succeed inside the ring. And for someone who believes in self-motivation and constant improvement, it is only natural that, having been India’s best bet in the 54kg category for the past six years, the Haryana pugilist now plans to move further up and add weight to his performances.“Yes, I am planning to move up to the 57kg category,” he said after returning with a bronze medal from the Moscow World Cup on Tuesday. Akhil, who began boxing in the 48kg, moved up to 51kg for the Athens Olympics. At Beijing, he competed in the 54kg. Now he wants to go further, something he has been considering ever since the Olympics.“It will be a little difficult in the beginning, no doubt, but then there is no easy road to success,” he admitted. And this move is not just for himself. “Jitu (Jitender Kumar) is also planning to move up to 54kg. He is like my younger brother. If I have to, I may even think of quitting for him. But I also think that one has to go up to improve,” he said.“It is difficult to maintain a constant weight always. There is a lot of pressure in terms of diet and the dos and don’ts. I don’t have a problem with the training or the hard work, but honestly, I feel that on has to keep setting new challenges for himself to grow professionally,” he said.Joint decision“We will talk to our coaches and trainer Heath Mathews before deciding. We also have to consider when to make the switch, which tournament to begin with and where to test ourselves before taking a final decision,” he said.National coach GS Sandhu, meanwhile, refused to either confirm or deny the change. “Yes, I have been told that they want to move up, but it is not final at the moment. See, they have just returned from a tournament, and they have had to control a lot to maintain a constant weight for so long. It is not easy. We will be getting back to training from January 6 at Patiala. There I will talk to them and we will decide on the best course of action,” he said.As for the one man who will be affected most by the decision — India’s current best bet in the 57 kg and bronze medallist at Moscow, AL Lakra — it is no big deal. “I will fight for my place, but I am not worried. It is only good for the sport if there is more competition in every category,” he said. And Akhil added: “I personally feel that he should also move a division up if he wants to better his performances. But even if he doesn’t competition is always better. He will not be my rival; we all work as a team. The best man will survive in the ring,” he added.Akhil and Jitender, meanwhile, have also decided to distribute a share of their World Cup prize money of $2,500 each among the coaching staff — Sandhu, Bisht, Ramanand and C Kuttappa.
