The struggle is far more important than the medals, says Sumit Sangwan
26-year-old Sumit Sangwan, who is arguably one of the biggest underachievers in Indian boxing, has revealed that struggle keeps him happy and added that it is more important than the medals. Sangwan has faced four years of injury and bad luck which has kept him moving in and out of the sport.
Sumit Sangwan is arguably one of the biggest underachievers in Indian boxing and he does not shy away from revealing the tough times he has faced over the last four years which have troubled him through injury and bad luck. Sangwan remembers how he had negative thoughts of leaving the sport with which he has been associated with since 2003.
The last four injury-prone years, in particular, are ones that he would like to erase from his memory. Back in 2014, Sangwan fractured his left hand before the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, just 10 days before the competition, he got the plaster removed. He lost in the quarter-finals after he ended up participating with a swollen hand.
A year later, his right-elbow began troubling him. Then, during the 2016 World Olympic Qualifiers in Baku, Sangwan lost to Russia’s Petr Khamukov and needed him to beat his next opponent (Azerbaijan’s Teymur Mammadov). But the Russian decided not to box after the win having already qualified for the Rio Olympics.
“Maybe it was bad luck or maybe God just wanted me to struggle more,” Sangwan said to Scroll.in in an interview after winning the gold medal (by walkover) in the 91kg category at the Senior Nationals.
He suffered from typhoid just before the Commonwealth Games (CWG) trials in 2018 but still gave it a shot. After winning the first bout, he lost to Naman Tanwar in the final and failed to secure a spot on the team. Sangwan felt like he “was boxing blind.”
“I did not get my blood checked when I first fell ill. I would get a fever in the evening and when they checked it later, it was typhoid. I had to take part in those trials. But I had no power left. I was broken.”
Sangwan believes he has proved his worth even through injuries, which he did once more on Thursday when he finished top of the podium at the senior national championships at Baddi University. He bagged his first gold medal in the tournament in four years and the first in the new category after jumping from 81 kg.
“I was away from the scene and the ring for some time,” he said. “I had two surgeries and then I was in and out. But still, I was in the Asian Championships final (2017) and World Championships quarter-finals (2016). So I have proved myself, again and again. The 10 kg weight change makes it a different game,” he said. “I had no fat so getting hit in 81 kg meant I get injured more frequently. You need some fat to absorb the hit. I was cutting down from 86 kg to 81 kg so that became difficult after two surgeries.”
The success of his previous category was hard to find in the new category as Sangwan was challenged by youngsters at home and even internationally. He revealed that he had a certain height advantage fighting in the 81kg category which is not the case in 91kg. It is difficult to adjust to the heavyweight category. He realised that at the Asian Championships in 2017 where he was weighing only 86 kg, he trusted his speed to box in the tournament and earn a silver medal to get back into national recognition.
“I fought all bouts with speed. I defeated a Chinese boxer in semi-final only because of speed,” he said. “When I was getting hit, I felt my whole body shake. Now my body and mind have adjusted. I’ve understood that I have to go closer and take the hard-hitting punches.”
But 2018 was once again a forgetful year as he missed out on making the CWG team and there was the long-overdue elbow surgery as well. Through all this, his love for the game kept him going. According to him, the struggle keeps him happy and it is his way of life.
“Medal is motivation, fame, and money. I decided to quit but 10 days later I watched a bout and then I thought that the struggle is far more important. That is my lifestyle. I will keep working harder. I am targeting the Olympics but I cannot be thinking so far. It’s best to wake up in the morning and go to the ground, check your weaknesses, run and listen to the coach’s abuse. This is happiness and this is what I like. Kabhi khoon nikalta hai, kabhi haddi tutti hai but yahi maza hai [sometimes you bleed, sometimes bones break but isn’t that the fun of it all],” he signed off.
