The Hindu : Sport / Boxing : Jamshedpur then, Bhiwani now

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Jamshedpur then, Bhiwani now

Sports Reporter

BATHINDA: If Bhiwani is the cradle of boxers at present then Jamshedpur had that distinction not long ago.

The Tata Academy used to spot talent and nurture it. Jaipal Singh, Raj Kumar Sangwan, Birju Shah, Z.B. Jollison, John William, the list is long and exhaustive. Towards the bottom of that list one finds more familiar and recent names such as Diwakar Prasad and A.L. Lakra.

“Earlier, boxing used to be the main sport in this area. There was a craze as a lot of Olympians and international medallists emerged from here,” says Ernest Lakra, the senior coach at the Academy and father of A.L. Lakra, who was a member of the Indian boxing team in the Beijing Olympics.

The Academy has also produced some women boxers of note. “Aruna Mishra is a gold medallist in Asian championship. Besides, Laxmi Padhia is also doing well in international competitions,” says Lakra, who has been working with the Academy since 1969.

But the days of glory seem to be a thing of past. “Some years ago Jamshedpur was full of boxers. But it has lost its glory over the years,” said Diwakar Prasad, who was the best Indian boxer in the Athens Olympics.

Currently, the Academy has about 70 boys and girls and the whole area has around 200 boxers. But, Prasad says it used to be much more some time ago.

Lakra says, “the boxers who make a name for themselves get better jobs and leave. In the academy they get a consolidated amount of Rs. 8,000 per month. So, they look elsewhere to secure their future.”

Lakra feels both Tatas and the State Government have a major role to play to stop the exodus.

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