BADSHAHS of Bhiwani!!!

BY NEIL JOSHI

Much was expected from the boxers in Beijing after they reached the quarter finals but only Vijender Singh returned with the bronze while Jitender and Akhil Kumar won hearts with their resilience and character shown in the ring. Akhil, who lost in the quarters, defeated the world champion Sergey Vodopyanov in the round of 16 which brought the champion to tears. But something was missing and they found the missing element when they went to Moscow and conquered the bronze medals in the AIBA World Cup to end 2008 on a high.

Fly-weight category pugilist Jitender Kumar won convincingly 18-6 against Jo Gage of Wales while Akhil Kumar put up a strong fight against Olympic silver medallist Leon Alarcon Yankiel in the semis. Akhil, who had made it to the Beijing Olympics quarterfinal, fought bravely in the 54-kg (bantamweight) category. Akhil and Cuban Yankiel were tied 4:4 but the latter was declared the winner on countback.

But their success story goes back in time when Akhil Kumar’s brother Shailendra who urged the Gurgaon boy to pick up an individual sport like boxing rather than waste his time in playing cricket in the alleys. “The entire day I used to play cricket. Then my brother told me that if I wanted to do anything then I should pick up an individual sport. Since I used to box a little, he told me to take up to boxing.”

But there was a roadblock as boxing required the permission of a jail warden of Rohtak Jail – his father who along with the rest of his family opposed, as that meant that their son would come home with black eyes, scars and swollen cheekbones. “My mother used to fear a lot when I sometimes came home with black eyes. She didn’t want me to take up boxing. It was my brother who convinced them. I didn’t like to study, so along with boxing I participated in stage shows,” said Akhil.

Jitender Kumar, the cousin of Akhil – his entry in to the sport was quite natural and was guided at every step by Akhil himself. “He told me to take up the sport and my family supported Akhil’s decision. He is everything for me.”

Jitender’s big breakthrough was when he impressed the selectors during the trials for the Commonwealth Games in 2006 where he fought against Mohammed Ali Qamar and Balbir Singh. “I threw enough punches at them to impress the selectors,” said Jitender.

Akhil mentioned that he experienced so much pain during the training that he eventually fell in love with it. “I just loved the pain. After a hard day’s work, the sleep you got them was simply indescribable. I was at peace with it.”

Akhil Kumar, an ardent movie buff was so much impressed with the movie ‘Boxer’ that he borrowed some of the moves made by actor Mithin Chakraborty in the film. . “I love the ‘Rocky’ movies and my favourite is ‘Rocky 4’… it’s just so motivating. ‘Rocky’ motivated the middle class because he also was of the same background and gave us a reason to dream big. But Mithun’s movie taught me a couple of moves which till today I use with great success.”

Jitender, who always wanted to be a cop just like his father who was a ‘siphai’ in the army, took up the job of the DSP rather joining the railways. “My father was the ‘sipahi’ in the army and now I become the DSP. The feeling is totally different. Even the Railways have offered me a post but I have always wanted to be a cop.”

Fame has not changed either of them, feels Akhil, except for that occasional burger at the McDonalds. “The only difference is that we are known to people and eat at places like McDonalds. We are still the same inside.” But both the boxers have decided in competing in a higher weight category and have begun training. Both of them travelled to South Africa with their physio for endurance and strength training. “I felt that I was lacking in endurance and technique so I learnt a lot out there,” said Jitender.
Both of them are eyeing the medal in next year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi. “Nothing is impossible. We will work hard and get the gold for India,” he added.

Akhil who is regarded as the one who groomed pugilists like Jitender and Vijender downplays such statements. “I am not the master of anybody’s destiny. Vijender and Jitu chose to be what they wanted. I was just there to guide them.”