Their footwork makes them good

As a youngster growing up in Thakazhy Panchayat in Karnataka,V Johnson never imagined that one day he would become Indias only super-heavyweight boxer to win medals at Commonwealth Games as well as Asian Games. Johnson always wanted to be a volleyball player and the sport was his first choice when he joined Indian Army in the year 2000. Just a year later,Johnson shifted to the boxing camp on the recommendation of his coach who felt that the combination of a 6 7 frame and 92kg weight would be more suited to boxing. I had always wanted to be a volleyball player. Before joining Army,I also represented Karnataka Junior Nationals and was keen on playing in the domestic circuit. But my coach recommended boxing to me after seeing me practice and it was a lucky transition for me, says the 29-year-old boxer,who is currently studying to become a qualified coach.

Comparisons with other heavyweight boxers such as double Olympian Gurcharan Singh began to be made after Johnson won silver in the Brandenburg Cup in Germany in 2000. A quarter-final loss in 2002 Asian Games made Johnson more determined and the Karnataka boxer returned with bronze medals at the Commonwealth Boxing Championship 2003,Commonwealth Games in Melbourne 2006 and Asian Games in Doha 2006. Most of the Indias medals came in light weight categories and it felt good to win medals in heavy and super heavy weight categories along with Harpreet and Harpal. I still cherish my medals in Doha and Melbourne. Those were the days when I was at my peak. We were all young when Gurcharan paaji lost the quarter-final in Sydney but it left a big impact on us. It made us more determined and we still consider him as our role model, says Johnson.

The veteran boxer was a part of the Indian camp till 2009 until a back injury sidelined him. With more than ten years of experience,Johnson has only one advice for heavyweight boxers like Manpreet and Paramjit. The only advantage that we have is of strength and we should use it properly. Both of them are young and they still have very good footwork,which makes them good.