Boxing 'golden boy'

Olympic Boxing Bronze medallist Vijender Singh was in BITS Pilani Dubai last week to lead a coaching camp for students. Rania Moussly reports from the college's inter-university sports festival.

The sixth annual BITS Pilani Sports 2009 (BSF '09) festival was launched at the beginning of this month and ran for nine days, ending last week. It was an inter-college event in which boys and girls from 17 universities across the country competed in basketball, football, badminton, volleyball, throwball and table tennis.

This year's event was special because it hosted Vijender Singh, Indian Olympic Boxing Bronze medallist, as its chief guest. Singh was flown over to BITS Pilani Dubai (BPD) on the last day of the event to conduct a three-day boxing coaching camp for students of the boxing team.

The 23-year-old bronze medallist's arrival was marked in true Olympic style. Escorted by three Dubai Police cars and an ambulance, Singh, along with students, ran from the Dubai International Academic City main grounds to the BPD campus nearby.

Captains of all the competing sports teams dotted the way, waiting to receive a lit torch and relay it to the team captain up ahead until it reached its resting place on the BPD ground.

Abdul Majid Mohammad Hannif, captain of the volleyball team, was the last man in the torch relay. Notes spotted him perched beneath a pole waiting under the scorching Dubai sun, on the side of the road on the way to the university. "I think this is very exciting. The sports festival is a good thing. It brings students together from across the country to participate in extracurricular activities," an apparently hot and thirsty Hannif said.

Dr Ramachandran, director of the BPD, welcomed Singh on campus in front of a cheering crowd of students. "Boxing, for those who don't follow it, is an art. It matches men with men and brings out inner strength. It is a sport that calls for courage and self-belief... . India can be proud because this man did not only win with his strength or skill, but with a fighting spirit!"

Mohammad Rafiuddin, student services manager and organiser of BSF '09, was the first man to introduce boxing as a sport to students at universities around the country. "I am a boxer, I love boxing and wanted to not only introduce, but promote boxing through this event," he said.

He said BSF '09 "has been a grand success compared to previous years", adding, "we've had nearly 1,000 student participants."

Vijender Singh hails from the Northern Indian state of Haryana where boxing is a popular sport. He started boxing aged 13. His older brother was a boxer and Singh wanted to follow in his footsteps. Ten years later here he is, an Olympic Bronze Medal already under his belt. "I like the challenge inside the ring," said Singh.

Notes asked him where he sees his future in the sport. He replied that he aims to compete in the World Championships, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games before going on to win an Olympic Gold Medal.

What does it take to be a good boxer? Willpower was Singh's immediate answer. Why? "Because in the ring, sometimes your strength and mind fail you; that's when willpower comes into play," he said. It is your willpower and inner strength and survival instincts that will ultimately determine your staying power in the ring, he said.

Singh maintains a healthy diet and trains four to five hours daily, bumping it up to six before a fight. His weight is 77 kilograms but at fight time he maintains it at 75.

"He's got a lot of potential. If he turns pro he will be the first ever international Indian boxer," said Neerav Tomar, Singh's manager. Tomar compared the boxer to 'golden boy' Oscar de la Hoya, a 36-year-old American boxer who won an Olympic Gold Medal at the summer games in Barcelona in 1992. "He's in the same weight category!"