From chubby kid to champion: World Cup medallist Hitesh Gulia says joined boxing to shed weight

New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) A decade ago, a chubby schoolboy ambled into a local stadium in Jhajjar, coaxed by his family to shed a few kilos and embrace fitness.

Today, 21-year-old Hitesh Gulia (70kg) is turning heads on the international boxing circuit, having clinched a gold and silver in the World Cups held in Brazil and Kazakhstan, respectively.

Rewinding the clock, Hitesh vividly recalls the moment his journey began.

"When we moved from our native village (Jahangirpur) to Jhajjar town in 2015, there was a local stadium there. My parents asked me to go there, do a little running, get fit because although I was in fourth class, I weighed 50-55kg," Hitesh told PTI.

He had no ambition of taking up the sport professionally back then.

"At the stadium I walked up to where boxing was happening and joined the training to get fit. I had no aim of making a career out of boxing. But then one day the coach handed me the gloves and asked me to fight," he said.

The early stages of training in boxing involves very little to no sparring as boxers mainly focus on building stamina and sharpening reflexes away from the ring.

"I landed punches on my opponent and the coach saw potential in me. After that I was selected for a district-level tournament for my state. I lost in the first bout but my family thought that I could pursue boxing," added the baby-faced boxer.

Hitesh's father Satyaprakash, who worked as a taxi driver with a private travel company to keep his family afloat, has had a huge role to play in his son's success.

Despite their modest means, Hitesh, who is the youngest of five siblings, never felt the weight of his family's struggles and credits his father for silently fighting through.

"Papa used to a drive a cab for a company. I have no answer to how we managed finances but just that my father has sacrificed a lot. He would do double shifts as well despite having a knee problem." "He never told me anything or let me worry about finances at all. He would always say 'Tu mere par chhod de, fikar na kar' (You don't worry, just leave it on me). If it was not for him I wouldn't be here," said the boxer, who has two sisters and as many brothers.

Hitesh soon found support form JSW, but the defining career point arrived in 2022 when Asian Championships gold-winning Indian boxing icon Suranjoy Singh, who works as a coach in the Indian Navy, spotted the young boxer at the Sports Authority of India Centre in Bhiwani.

The man who won eight eight consecutive international gold medals between 2009 and 2010, including top honours at the Commonwealth Games, Suranjoy saw the spark in the then 17-year-old and offered him a Sailor's position in the Indian Navy.

"When I got into the Navy that was the best thing because I was able to ask my father to stop driving. I could see he had so much pain in his knees despite that he would drive. He underwent surgery in 2023," Hitesh said.

Besides financial security, the job in the Navy gave Hitesh the opportunity to train with one the best Indian boxers. Training under Suranjoy's mentorship shaped Hitesh's approach to the sport, especially the mental side of the game.

"He taught me that you need to have will power in boxing, the ring is like a war zone. You need to have will power to fight," Hitesh said.

"There's a famous bout of his against Cuba. Both were similar type of attacking boxers and though he (Suranjoy) lost the bout.. they way he fought was something, he had the will power to fight. So wahi dekh kar, kar rahe hain." Hitesh earned a spot in the national camp last year in March. He then went on to win the 2024 National Championships before claiming the gold at the National Games earlier this year. PTI APA PM APA PM PM