Sumit Sangwan is prodigiously talented. The 22-year-old Haryana boxer –
supported by Olympic Gold Quest – first hogged the headlines when he won the
light heavyweight (81kg) gold in the 34th National Games in Jharkhand in 2011,
before reinforcing his credentials winning the 2012 Asian Boxing Olympic
Qualification Tournament in Astana and sealing his Olympic berth. A right thumb
injury kept him on the sidelines for more than a year, which effectively meant
that he missed a slew of tournaments during this period. The ONGC employee won
the gold in the 2015 Senior Nationals in Nagpur and was named the best boxer of
the tournament. Sumit, who is currently going through the rehab programme in Bengaluru,
spoke about his Olympic aspirations and much more in an exclusive interview.
Excerpts:
Q You are considered the country’s number one light heavyweight (81kg)
boxer but you have been battling with a prolonged injury that has put you out
of competitive action for more than a year now. Your thoughts.
I sustained a right thumb injury during the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth
Games, where I lost to eventual gold medallist David Nyika of New Zealand in
the quarterfinals. I dislocated my right thumb and was out of competitive
action for more than a year. I’m currently doing my rehab in Bengaluru and hope
to be in the ring soon.
Q How frustrating it is to miss tournaments on account of injuries?
It is indeed frustrating to give tournaments a miss on injury grounds.
My right thumb injury has turned out be a prolonged one as I missed so many big
tournaments like the 2014 Asian Games, 2015 Asian Championship and 2015 AIBA
World Championship. As I have said, I have hit the rehab program and hope to
play in the upcoming Asian Olympic qualifiers so that I can play in my second
Olympics in Rio.
Q People still talk about your 2012 London Olympics first round loss to
Brazil’s Yamaguchi Falcão Florentino – a bout which is still considered highly
controversial as the Indian contingent protested against that loss and was
rejected by the jury that reviewed the bout.
As a boxer you know when it’s not your day when lose badly. Similarly,
you also know whether you have done enough to win a bout. On that day in
London, I just felt that I had done enough to beat my Brazilian opponent. I was
shocked by the outcome of the bout.
Q Dinesh Kumar has been dominating the light heavyweight (81 kg) until
you outboxed him in the selection trials and later won the gold medal at the
2012 Asian Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan and
sealed your Olympic berth.
The 2012 Asian Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament will always have
special memories for me as it was my first major senior international
tournaments. I had beaten opponents from Vietnam, Korea, Jordan and Tajikistan
to corner glory. I knew it was my best chance to represent the country in the
Olympics and I played with a free mind though I admit I was feeling the
pressure.
Q You made your debut in the 2013 AIBA World Championship in Almaty and
attained a quarterfinal finish losing to Kazakhstan’s Adilbek- the reigning
Olympic silver medallist – who went to win the silver.
The AIBA World Championship was a great experience for me – I defeated
opponents from Moldova and Belarus before I lost to Adilbek.
Q What are your strengths as a boxer and improvement areas that need
more focus?
I think my tall reach and speed are my key strengths. There is always
room for improvement and I need to work more on my footwork.
Q Indian boxing has been in doldrums with the federation provisionally
suspended by AIBA with domestic boxing activities coming to a standstill.
What’s your take?
Boxing has suffered a lot in last few years. I feel for the youngsters
who work hard to become a boxer and make a future out of it, but with no
national level tournaments happening, there is uncertainty all around. Where do
these youngsters go to prove their worth? It’s sad to see such a situation.
Q Vijender turned pro earlier this year. Do you desire to turn pro in
future?
At the moment, I’m happy playing amateur boxing and would like to win
medals in all major events. As for turning pro, I’m not thinking about it now.
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