Inspired by Mike Tyson and Mohammad Ali, eight Indian junior boxers made quite an impression in their maiden international assignment, clinching a couple of gold, a silver and a bronze medal at the 25th Ahmed Comert Cup in Istanbul, Turkey.
The tournament, which was previously a girls-only event, opened itself for the boys for the first time and the Indians made a splash by beating rivals from traditional powerhouses like Russia and Uzbekistan.
The team, which finished fourth in the overall standings, landed back in the capital this morning.
The gold medallists for India were Nambala Govardhan (57kg) and Dheeraj Kumar (52kg), while Surender Kumar Singh (50kg) settled for silver.
Gurleen Singh (63kg) had to be content with a bronze after losing in the semi-finals.
The quartet of Shyam Kumar (46kg), Arjun Singh (48kg), Lokesh (60kg) and David Singh (54kg) couldn't fetch a medal but gained in experience.
Their coach M S Dhaka, who has been overseeing junior boxers since 1998, said the boys did exceptionally well considering that they were heading out of the country for the first time and were faced with quality competition.
"I told these boys to just box well and not worry about results. They showed tremendous character in not getting overawed by their more fancied rivals. The medals are actually a bonus, all I wanted was a good performance which all of them gave me," he said.
All the boys, in the age group of 15 to 16, draw their inspiration from the controversial Tyson.
"He might be controversial but then nobody can question his boxing prowess. He is the kind of boxer one would want to emulate as far as technique goes," said Govardhan.
Coach Dhaka said international exposure is vital for a boxer's growth and hoped that the federation would work towards bringing tournaments like the Ahmed Comert Cup to India in near future.
"Participating in international tournaments is important for the development of a boxer. I hope such an event comes to India as well," he said.
