It’s the mid-1990s and in Kaithal, eastern Haryana a skinny 10-year-old Manoj is keenly observing his elder brother Rajesh train aspiring pre-teen boxers.
The boxers are training with makeshift punching bags and the young coach, Rajesh, asks if his little brother wants to be involved in a leisurely bout with one of his wards. The wiry, confident Manoj steps up and pummels his opponent, who is a good 15 kilograms heavier than him.
The two competitors had to be separated when when Manoj’s opponent, a state level boxer, was left bleeding from his mouth.
Thus began the journey of Manoj Kumar, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and his brother Rajesh recounts the journey with great fondness, “Back then [a 10-year-old Manoj], he used to be an athlete and weighed all of 27 kilograms. There wasn’t much of an interest in boxing in our village [Rajound]. Some of the bigger kids would turn up, and I would teach them the basics of the game.”
A casual bout had firmly provided the impetus for little Manoj to dream big. Before he would go on to sting like a bee in rings across the world, Rajesh, who is now a full-time coach, said that it was a simple “yes” from his little brother that kick-started proceedings, “Manoj agreed to take up boxing seriously and from thereon, I set the highest standards for him. Around that time, Leander Paes had returned [from the Atalanta Olympics in 1996] with a bronze medal. I pointed out to him that he should be aiming for those standards too. The first target I gave him was to go for an Olympic medal, not anything short of that.”
Despite bring home medals in the Commonwealth and Asian Games, Manoj, now 31, continues to aim for the Olympic medal that has eluded him. “I have my eyes firmly set on Tokyo 2020,” says Manoj, who had added a bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games to his glittering array of medals.
The welterweight pugilist was looking in ominous form before being halted in his tracks by England’s Pat McCormack in the semi-finals. McCormack would end the tournament as the eventual winner in his weight division too. Manoj is unfazed: “I certainly performed well and that’s why I think I earned a medal. Of course, a gold medal is definitely better than a bronze. It also gave me a clear idea about where I have to improve before the Asian Games.”
In his younger days, Manoj was renowned for being a combative street-fighter who was relentless in attack. Years of experience and the tactical brain of coach Santiago Nieva has now introduced a new-found maturity – when to hold back and run the clock down, and when to throw the punches.
“Santiago has brought about a lot of changes. As for my game, he has taken notes. It is about when I had to attack and bring in a lot more of game awareness. He worked on each of us a lot during the camps and was able to bring in the necessary changes at the right time.
“The attack is the same so is my speed but have made some changes to my technique. There is more ring awareness in terms of how I have to approach the game depending on who I am fighting against. Now I am trying to deploy whatever Santiago is trying to implement and I feel that is where my game has improved the most.”
With the Asian Games around the corner, coach Rajesh too, has adopted a forward-thinking approach. “He is high on confidence and can beat any world class boxer on his day. My belief is that he will reach the finals atleast. A lot depends on who he is up against and the opponent’s height and reach.”
Manoj, now the elder statesman, doesn’t see the need for too many changes: “There are changes that I have brought in with my training. As for the fights, it’s about keeping oneself motivated and clear-headed. We will see the benefits of that training.”
And the 31-year-old is impressed by the younger crop, who he says are in safe hands. At the peak of his career, Manoj competed for almost three years without a federation being setup. “The boxers these days get a lot of support from the federation. The younger lot is getting a lot more training and exposure. As a result, I feel that their game has improved.”
No pro boxing on the horizon
Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh set the stage on fire after switching to pro boxing and more players are following suit. Despite the obvious interest towards snapping up one of the high-profile names in Indian boxing, Rajesh says, he has set a target for his Manoj. “The focus is only 2020. There have been no discussions with anyone nor are we interested in it. Everything else can wait after the Olympics.”
A strong nationalistic fervour, coupled with a single-minded approach, the one that Rajesh had drilled into his brother from a young age means that all pro-boxing offers however lucrative have been cast aside, “There were plenty of offers before the Olympics. He has to earn respect and adulation of the nation in the Olympics. There were offers in the range of Rs 5-6 Lakh. Our main objective is 2020.”
“We are fully committed in competing our goal, which is the 2020 Olympics. There is a lot of positive energy during the sparring sessions.”
Rajesh recounts some of the struggles from the years gone by that better explains the brothers’ putting medals over the moolah, “Age and facilites don’t matter. You just need to have the spirit and courage. If you have that, nothing is impossible.”
“After 2012 [London Olympics], we didn’t get any sponsors but some youngsters who performed well at the national level were picked up by various companies. When he qualified for the Rio Olympics, he reached the target with less than a month to go. We have no godfather in sports.”
Many years ago, he dismantled the Bhiwani’s (Cuba of India) hegemony in his home state. There will be a lot riding on Manoj now to lead the way for the Indian contingent in Indonesia. More so with five-time world champion Mary Kom opting out the event. The 31-year-old’s eyes, though, are firmly set on the mega-event two years from now. Of course, his brother Rajesh will again be on the sidelines... egging him on.