Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 2

American National Football League coach Vince Lombardi, after whom the Vince Lombardi Trophy — awarded to the winning team at the Super Bowl — once said: “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.”

It is almost certain that Rohtak boxer Sanjeet Kumar has not heard about Lombardi — but it’s certain that Sanjeet knows the spirit Lombardi’s words represent.

Sanjeet, who is a Havildar in the Indian Army, had his ‘get up’ moment in the 91kg category final at the Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai last week. He was up against three-time Asian Championships gold winner and Rio Olympics silver medallist Vassiliy Levit of Kazakhstan. In his own words, Sanjeet was waiting for this match-up since 2018 as he had suffered a big humiliation at the hands of the Kazakh boxer that year.

Knocked out

Sanjeet was knocked out — through RSC, or referee stopped contest, in amateur boxing parlance — after suffering a cut during their bout at the 2018 President’s Cup. He had never before suffered such a fate and a chance to get over that unwanted memory was keeping the 91kg boxer focused on getting better.

“I thought I would get to fight him at the 2019 World Championships but I lost in the quarterfinals. This time I could not wait to get in the ring to avenge that defeat. I was very angry at what had happened in 2018,” Sanjeet told The Tribune.

“I cannot explain how I felt after winning the final against Levit. Woh bahut hi tagde boxer hain aur unke liye bahut respect hai (He is a very strong boxer and I respect him a lot)… But I am happy that I won and could exact revenge,” the Armyman added, having won gold in Dubai with a 3-2 split verdict.

Depressing cancellation

While Sanjeet is now happy he won the gold medal — incidentally, India’s second at the event, Pooja Rani winning the other in the women’s 75kg weight division — he was depressed for a bit after the cancellation of the World Qualifiers.

“I had won the selections (in India) and then we were told that the World Qualifiers had been cancelled due to Covid-19. Suddenly, I had nowhere to go and was sad and depressed,” Sanjeet said. “My brother Sanjeev consoled me, saying: ‘You will get another shot at the Olympics.’ And then we got to know that the Asian Championships is being held. So I had to start training and out of nowhere, I was motivated again,” recalled Sanjeet, who trains with his brother at Rohtak’s Aryan Boxing Club.

Paris, 2024

Even though he has missed the boat for the Tokyo Olympics, Sanjeet has quickly set his eyes at the 2024 Olympics, to be held in Paris. The 24-year-old says he has already started to work on a particular weakness and would mount a stronger challenge for the 2024 Games.

“My coaches showed me that I would slightly fizzle out in the last rounds. It is essentially an endurance issue. As a boxer you may sometimes feel that winning the first two rounds is enough to win the bout but in the long run, it may not be enough,” Sanjeet said.

“I will not be in Tokyo this time but I have promised myself that I will be a fitter and better boxer as we prepare for the 2024 Games,” he added.