Since the 1920s, India has participated in amateur Indian Boxing, and throughout the 1950s and 1960s, it has had a major influence on Asia. The sport is well-liked all around the world because of its lengthy connection to the Olympics. Three Olympic boxing medals have been earned by India: Lovlina Borgohain in Tokyo 2020, Mary Kom in London 2012, and Vijender Singh in Beijing 2008.
All of these medals are bronze. Prominent fighters such as Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, and Dingko Singh have attempted this before, but none of them have placed on the podium. After his triumph in 2008, Vijender Singh became a role model for other boxers, encouraging them to follow in his footsteps and even surpass his accomplishments.
History of Boxing
- Boxing originated in ancient Egypt and India when a form known as mushti-yuddha was documented. The sport of amateur boxing debuted in the Summer Olympics in St. Louis, USA, in 1904.
- The Queensberry Rules, which were released in 1867, codified a set of rules governing boxing behaviour. In amateur boxing, the first championship was held in 1867; in official boxing, the first championship was held in 1880.
- The first recorded amateur boxing match took place in India in 1925, and the sport quickly gained popularity around the world. India is represented in four of the world’s main amateur boxing competitions, and the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation was established in 1949.
Indian boxing at the Olympics
- Seven Indian boxers qualified for the 1948 London Olympics, when they competed in boxing for the first time.
- While Babu Lall became the first Indian Olympic champion in the men’s bantamweight division, he was unable to beat Juan Evangelista Venegas, a Puerto Rican boxer.
- Mehtab Singh, Muniswamy Venu, and Chander Narayanan ended the Indian boxing team’s four-year drought of qualifying for the Olympics in 1972.
- Since then, Indian boxers have competed in every Olympic Games. In 2008, Vijender Singh earned the country’s first Olympic medal; in 2012, Mary Kom won the country’s second flyweight medal.
- In Tokyo 2020, Lovlina Borgohain earned bronze in the welterweight division, marking her third Olympic medal for India. In London 2012, women’s boxing made its debut, and Mary Kom took home India’s second Olympic medal.
Indian Medals in Boxing
- Boxer Vijender Singh, who was born in Haryana, placed third in the men’s 75kg division at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
- Singh refocused his training for the 2004 Olympics after losing in the first round of the boxing competition in Athens, and he went on to win the first boxing medal for India.
- In addition to winning five global titles and four Asian titles, Mary Kom also took home a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics.
- She defeated Tunisian Maroua Rahali in the quarterfinals and former global champion Karolina Michalczuk in the round of 16. Kom became the third Indian female athlete to win an Olympic medal with a 15–6 victory.
- Assamese welterweight fighter Lovlina Borgohain made her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020 and displayed exceptional fighting skills against more seasoned opponents.
- She advanced to the semi-finals by winning her first fight against German Nadine Apetz and her second against Chen Nien-chin in the quarter-finals.
- In the semi-finals, Borgohain lost against world champion Busenaz Surmeneli, but he still won an Indian bronze medal in Tokyo 2020.
Conclusion
Since the 1920s, India has been involved in amateur boxing, and throughout the 1950s and 1960s, it has had a major impact on Asia. The sport became more well-known all around the world as a result of its Olympic affiliation. With renowned boxers like Vijender Singh and Lovlina Borgohain, India has won three Olympic boxing medals: bronze in Tokyo 2020, 2012, and 2008. In 1949, the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation was founded. Other nations have witnessed a surge in interest in the sport thanks to the likes of Dingko Singh and Akhil Kumar.
