It’s the middleweight quarter-final of the 2008 Olympics and the venue is the worker’s arena in Beijing. India’s Vijender Singh has a slender lead going into the final round against Ecuador’s Carlos Gongora.
There is a lot riding on this bout. After all, India have never bagged an Olympic medal in boxing. At the ringside, India’s assistant coach CA Kuttapa talks to Vijender on what needs to be done to book a semi-final berth, “Aisa chance kabhi nahi milta (You’ll never get this opportunity again). Remember what we did during practice? Do exactly that.” Kuttappa was reminding his ward about their go-to sparring routine. “Punch, move…punch, move in short bursts, close to the opponent.”
Vijender faithfully stuck to Kuttappa’s advice against Gongora and assured himself of an Olympic medal. Kuttappa, who was recently awarded the Dronacharya Award – the highest sports coaching honour in India – recalled the moment soaked with emotion. “He [Vijender] caught my hand, took me in front of the cameras, pointed at me and said ‘he is my coach’”
For the first time, a slightly startled but elated Kuttappa spoke to the media. Two careers were born that day. “I won an Olympic medal because of you,” said Vijender. “Aisa laga ki duniya mein sab kuch mil gaya (It felt like I had received everything I’d asked for).”
Kuttappa was then a part of the veteran India coach Gurbaksh Singh Sandhu’s camp. During Vijender’s Olympic medal win, he had been around only for seven months. The Bhiwani-based pugilist had turned a new page in Indian boxing. He could have easily gone on a victory lap. What made him push little-known Kuttappa in the limelight?
The 39-year-old, in 2007, was recruited into Sandhu’s camp after impressing at the Army school in Pune. “My first camp was in Shimla. That was the first time I met Vijender,” Kuttappa said.
“He was feeling lonely and dejected because his coach had left him then, and wanted someone who could give him individual attention. Gradually, we developed a strong bond and I used to interact with him a lot. One day he told me that he wants to train with me,” he added.
Humble but promising beginnings
Hailing from a poor household in Bengaluru, training world class boxers was a far-fetched dream for young Kuttappa. With an ailing father and meager resources, failure was not an option. “My brother was searching for a job and with Rs 3000, we used to run a household. The situation at home was so dire that I had to eat raw vegetables while growing up.”
A teenage Kuttappa, though, was destined for a promising future in sports. “I excelled in sports as a kid,” he said. “When I was 13 years old, there was a selection camp for Boys Sports Company in Mysore. I earned admission there and won gold in the sub-junior nationals. I was a junior champion in 1997 and that kick-started my career. I played in the National Games for Karnataka, where I won bronze. After joining the national camp, I went to Cuba in 1999 and participated in the famous Giraldo Cordova Cardin tournament, where I won bronze.”
The medals gleamed in Kuttappa’s trophy room as he established himself as one of India’s promising boxers. He was now a part of the services setup but an injury at the turn of the millennium was a major setback. In 2003, a 17-year-old Vijender stunned an experienced Kuttappa in the Nationals at Bengaluru. Strange turn of events, isn’t it? Kuttappa breaks into a chuckle as he recalls his bout with his future protégé, “I lost in the quarters 16-23. That was my last Nationals. After that, I played the Super Cup in 2005.”
Boxer turned coach
Kuttappa, though, didn’t think highly of his skills in the ring. “I was a hard-hitter. Whenever I faced boxer who was a technically sound, I would lose. Invariably, I had never completed three rounds; there would be a knockout or an RAC.”
Realistically, a big break looked a distant dream. Then, a reality check came from Col. Manoj Kumar, whom Kutappa considers his “godfather”. “He said, “Kuttappa, you are doing well, but you don’t have a future. There are plenty of seniors ahead of you in the pecking order, and I quit.”
Manoj Kumar had persuaded him to take up coaching. Kuttappa completed a one-year diploma in boxing at Patiala. But, wasn’t it too early to call it quits at 27? “Even I felt that there were better boxers than me. Back then, only the seniors would get opportunities as there weren’t many competitions.”
Kuttappa was conferred with the Dronacharya after another ward of his, Amit Panghal, bagged a gold medal in the recently concluded Asian Games. He might have received the award a decade earlier. “Vijender and [former CWG gold medallist] Suronjay Singh persuaded me to fill up the form [for Dronacharya]. I thought ‘[veteran coach] G Manoharan hasn’t won it yet, how could I?’.”
The Manipuri, like Kuttappa, is now a coach. “Suranjoy was better than Vijender at the time. I am pleased that I got to work with him, [former CWG silver medallist] Devendro Singh, Shiva Thapa now, Amit.”
Having overseen a see-saw ride all the way up to the top honour in Indian sports, Kuttappa now has his sights set on molding the next Vijender as the clock ticks towards Tokyo 2020.