New Delhi: Lakshay Phogat doesn’t come from a boxing background. His parents are teachers. However, the boxer from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, became fascinated by the sport after watching youngsters throw punches at each other in a boxing academy. Lakshay not only took up the sport but on Friday made an inspiring start to his international career, winning a silver medal in the 75kg weight class at the Asian U17 Boxing Championships in Tashkent.
“My aim was to win a medal for my country and I am happy that I was able to do that. It was a good experience for me,” Lakshay told HT from Tashkent.
In the final, Lakshay lost to Marufjon Toshpulatov of Uzbekistan 5-0. In the earlier rounds, he came out strong against some tough opponents beating Cheng-En Li of Chinese Taipei 5-0 and pulling off another resounding win against Seungmin Lee of Korea. The two back-to-back dominant victories gave him a lot of confidence.
Despite having entries in 13 weight classes (across men and women), Lakshay was the only Indian boxer to reach the final of the U-17 championships.
“I just wanted to play my game without worrying too much about winning or losing. I have been watching videos of my opponents to understand their style. The final was tough because both of us are southpaw boxers and our approaches are quite similar. I wanted to stay in the attacking mode.”
Despite the loss, Lakshay will return from Tashkent filled with self-belief in his abilities. Inside the ring, Lakshay likes to fight as much with his mind as with his fists. He adapts his game plan based on the opponents.
“If the opponent is shorter, I move forward and play aggressively. When I face a taller opponent I try to play a counter-attacking game. The most memorable win was against the Korean boxer in the semi-final. When I enter the ring, I have the belief that I can beat any opponent. Our coach (Vinod Kumar) kept motivating me inside the ring,” he said.
Lakshay’s boxing journey began at a boxing academy in Delhi where he trained under coach Swatantar Raj Singh. It was here that the sport stopped being just an activity and became an ambition for him.
“Both my parents are teachers. They have always supported me in pursuing my passion. When I watched my seniors in the academy come back with medals it motivated me and I started competing with more seriousness. They inspired me to work harder,” Lakshay recalled.
Chief coach of the India U17 team said it was a good exposure for the boxers. “They are still learning. It was a very good experience for them. I tell them to prepare well and try and execute the plans – be it to defend well or counterattack,” he said.
Vinod also stressed the importance of strengthening boxing at the grassroots level through more training camps and increased international exposure for young athletes. “They need to learn proper techniques and discipline from an early stage, as these factors often play a crucial role in winning bouts. The Boxing Federation of India has also been supporting us through exposure tours.”
The next stop for Lakshay is China where the team will attend an exposure camp. “I am looking forward to giving my best in the camp and learning new things,” he says.
