Had the adverse circumstances not forced him to leave the football field, Indians would have known this Manipuri lad more for his dribbling abilities than his power punches. But then destiny had something else in store for Suranjoy Singh and despite being good footballer, lack of opportunities in the world’s most popular game back home, brought him into the boxing ring and that changed his life forever.
Inspired by Mike Tyson and encouraged by his elder brother (who himself was a good boxer but had to give up the game due to injuries), Suranjoy donned the boxing gloves, much to the resistance of his parents. It was only after he reached the sub-juniors nationals in the year 2000 that he informed them about his foray into the manly game and it was then that his family started taking his boxing ventures seriously and supported him further.
“It wasn’t as if things were easy for me once I shifted to this sport. Convincing my parents was the first obstacle that I faced after joining this sport. Once I was able to that, things became easy. I was lucky enough to have an understanding brother by my side to support me by every means. He provided me with all needs and I never faced any constraints thereafter,” said the 25-year-old son of a farmer, who always wanted to excel in sports.
“I grew up seeing my brother M Suranjit Singh, who was a good boxer but had to give up boxing due to the injuries he had faced in an accident. Though initially I was interested in football, my brother’s boxing ventures had always inspired me to be in and around the ring. And once I started boxing, there was no looking back. I started enjoying the game and after excelling at the national championships, things started becoming easier for me,” said the Chhota Tyson, as he is popularly known for his electrifying punches and aggressive style.
Getting a job in the Indian Navy was a turning point in his career, as that meant an end to his days of struggle. “A secured job offered by the Indian Navy right after I won gold in National Games 2002, held at Hyderabad was a great relief. This not only secured me financially, but it was also a morale booster and my performance improved thereafter. I won a bronze in Junior World championships in 2004 and my winning spree continued. I won seven straight international gold medals between 2009 and 2010 before finishing with a bronze in the Asian Games 2010,” reminisced the pugilist, who puts a lot of stress on the role of fitness and consistency in a sportspersons life.
Not fancied by awards and honours, this flyweight (52kg) boxer believes in just doing his karma. “I just want to give my best and earn honour for my country and I know the rewards will follow,” said the champion, who will be receiving the Arjuna Award from the President on the National Sports Day later this month.
“Yes it is a matter of pride but it wasn’t a big surprise for me because I just perform and awards follow. Such an honour has increased people’s expectations from me and I will try to live up to them,” said the boxer for whom success has come with a price.
It was Commonwealth Games 2010 when he was facing opponents in the ring , unfortunately his mother fell sick for the first time. "I could not spend much time with my mother due to back-to-back tournaments. She was battling cancer and was critical when I left for the Asian Games in November. I even considered giving it a miss but my mother motivated me to go ahead. I settled for a bronze in the Asian Games but lost my mother in the same month. Mother’s loss was immense and it took me aback. But I took as a source of motivation and resumed my training after a few weeks in the desire to earn glory in the ring all for my mother’s love. She always wanted me to be a successful boxer. I will continue giving my best and even when she isn’t here with me anymore, I want to live her dream by my working hard. I dedicate my Arjuna Award to my late mother (Tampaklei Singh),” said the emotional son, who recently returned from the fifth World Military Games in Brazil, where he won a bronze.
Right now training in Patiala, he said, “The World Military Games was a great exposure and I have identified the lacking areas, I’m focusing on my footwork and punches to perform better in the trials for the World Championships, to happen in mid-August,” he said. The World Championship 2011 to be held in the month of September will be the first round of qualifiers for the London Olympics 2012.
Skipping the Asian Championships 2011 because of the heavy schedule, Suranjoy is aiming for a quota place in London Olympics in the coming tournaments. “It was my decision to stay back and work on my weaknesses and be back with stronger punches and a flawless performance in the upcoming championship. I’m training well, with no offs on Sundays as well. I hope to make through the Olympics qualifiers. It was my mother’s dream that I represent the country at the Olympics,” he added.
Happy with present status of boxing as a sport in India, Suranjoy hopes that the Indian Boxers qualify for the Olympics in different weight categories and bring medals to add onto the prestige of the country. “The response boxing has got in past few years is great. Apart from the government and authorities, the support it has received from a few NGOs like Olympic Gold Quest has been instrumental,” he added.
Major Achievements
• Bronze Medal- World Military Games 2011
• Bronze Medal, Asian Games, Guangzhou, 2010
• Gold Medal, Commonwealth Games Delhi, 2010
• Gold Medalist, 5th Commonwealth Boxing Championship, New Delhi 2010
• Gold Medalist, Inter-Continental President's Cup, Baku, Azerbeijan, 2009
• Gold Medalist, Asian Championships, Zhanzou, China, 2009
• Gold Medalist, AK Mishra Senior Men Boxing Championship, Chandigarh, India, 2009
• Gold Medalist, European Grand prix, Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic, 2009
• Bronze Medalist, Junior World Championship, Korea, 2004
By Akshi Aggarwal
Indian Sports News