Wanna box like Tyson

Suhrid Barua Pune Mirror May 19, 2008

Pune: Shiv Thapa is only 15 but talks with a maturity beyond his age. It was this maturity that came to the fore when he outboxed Elvin Kerimova of Azerbaijan in the final bout to win the flyweight (50 kg) gold in the Hyder Aliyev International Boxing Tournament in Azerbaijan recently.For someone, who donned the India colours for the first time and to have become the first Indian boxer to win a gold at the Hyder Aliyev international tournament must have given him a new high. “I didn’t expect to go so far in the tournament. It was my first international tourney and all I was looking for was some solid international exposure and winning the gold is a big bonus,” Shiv gushes.

So then, what did the trick for this Assam pugilist who joined the Army Sports Institute in 2005? “Straight punches,” pat comes the answer. “Indian boxers usually employ the uppercuts and hooks but my coaches (More sir and Mahavir sir) have stressed on the excessive use of straight punches and I reaped rich rewards employing them in Azerbaijan,” he quips.Shiv comes from a modest background -his father runs a steel furniture business in Guwahati, but boxing runs in his family - elder brother- Gobind Thapa is a featherweight silver medalist at the 2007 National Games in Guwahati.

So is there any kind of sibling rivalry? “Nothing like that. When we box against each other, he doesn’t try to hit me but focuses more on explaining the tactics of a match situation,” Shiv reserves all respect for his elder brother.Boys of his age like to piggy out on junk food or whatever they stumble upon. But Shiv knows the importance of maintaining a strict diet. “I consume a lot of fruit salads and generally try to skirt oily stuff,” says, Shiv, who sees Mike Tyson as a role model.

“Mike Tyson is a braveheart. What I like about him is that he never gives up or get intimidated by his opponent. He thinks he is the champion and I want to imbibe this line of thinking when I’m in the ring,” Shiv added.The Azerbaijan glory is over.

So what’s next? “I’d be off to Uzbekistan for a training-cum-competition trip next month. “I really want to make the most of whatever foreign exposure I get,” Shiv remarked with truckloads of confidence.

The fiesty boxer has already set his sights on making a statement on the big stage. “I want to make a podium finish in the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi, but my ultimate dream is to win a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics,” he added with a ring of determination.