Having drawn everyone’s attention by thumping a Cuban boxer — a rarest of the rare occurrence for an Indian boxer — to secure his maiden international medal, a World championship bronze in Tashkent, 22-year-old Nishant Dev has grown in confidence. Now, he is determined to claim medal at the Asian Games and book a berth in the Paris Olympics.
Nishant’s journey to the World championship podium at the Uzbekistan capital, where the Indian male boxers recorded their best-ever showing by claiming three bronzes, was different. Unlike several top-level boxers, who came through the ranks and landed medals in international age group events before shining in elite competitions, Nishant struck it big straightaway at the highest level.
Overcoming obstacles
The Karnal boy, who took to the sport in 2012 after being inspired by his boxer uncle, and made Karnataka his home to hone his skills at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) at Vijayanagar after learning the basics under coach Surender Chauhan, had to overcome his share of obstacles before making his mark.
He lost in the quarterfinals on his National championships debut at Baddi in 2019, but impressed the then high-performance director Santiago Nieva and joined the National camp.
In 2021, he became the National champion on his ‘home turf’ at Vijayanagar and went on to make his international debut at the World championships in Belgrade. He impressed everyone there by defeating some established boxers — including Hungary’s nine-time National champion Laszlo Kozak, two-time Olympian Merven Clair of Mauritius, and Mexico’s Marco Alvarez Verde — before losing to eventual silver medallist Russian Vadim Musaev in a closely-fought quarterfinal bout.
Injury woes
In 2010, Nishant had dislocated his right shoulder after falling from the stairs and the injury came back to haunt him at the beginning of 2022 as his shoulder developed infection. He had surgery in March and went through rehab. He returned strongly to retain his National title at Hisar in January last.
“I lost several tournaments because of the injury. But I was confident that I can do it as my boxing skills and mindset are different. My family motivated me and kept me positive. When I did rehab at the IIS for six months, I worked on my shoulder. It improved my strength.
Cool and relaxed
“In 2021, my nose was broken and the World championship was my first international event. I was under pressure in the quarterfinals. But I did not feel any pressure this time around. There was not a single fight, whether it was quarterfinal or semifinal, where I felt pressure. I was very cool and relaxed.”
Praise for coaches
Nishant, who went down fighting to Asian champion and eventual gold medallist Aslanbek Shymbergenov of Kazakhstan and claimed the bronze in 71kg, acknowledged the contribution of American coach Ronald Simms for his good showing.
“I spoke with Ron Sir before the quarterfinals. He advised me to be mentally strong and confident. I followed his advice and it paid off,” said Nishant.
According to former National chief coach G.S. Sandhu and foreign coach B.I.Fernandez, Nishant’s victory over the Cuban was a first by an Indian in a major competition.
“I told Nishant that the Cuban’s skill set is not as high as yours and the Cuban is going to try to out-hustle you and that’s exactly what the Cuban attempted to do,” said Simms.
At one point, Simms, who groomed Nishant during his days at the IIS, had noticed a ‘bad change’ as the boxer threw his left hand wide but the problem looked rectified during the Worlds.
“Nishant has stayed disciplined and remained on course as far as his technique (is concerned) and him recognising what’s going on in the ring and adjusting. His footwork is beautiful,” said Simms, adding that the young boxer would add power to his punches as “he’s getting more of a man.”
Apart from Simms, Nishant acknowledged the role of other coaches, such as high-performance director Bernard Dunne, foreign coach Dmitry Dmitruk, chief coach C.A. Kuttappa and current IIS head coach John Warburton.
“I take every coach’s opinion and the special things to learn from each one of them. I have applied the points which suited my game. From Kuttappa Sir, I have learnt not to get bogged down against any boxer,” says Nishant.
‘Really good jab’
Kuttappa points out that “Nishant has got a really good jab. He has got good power too.” Nishant also underscored the role of the psychologist Adrita Banerjee during the Worlds. “As I was cutting weight, I was having problems sleeping on an empty stomach. As a result, I was a little disturbed during the first two fights. The psychologist prescribed a technique, which helped me relax.”
The podium finish in Tashkent may have satiated his hunger for an international medal, but Nishant and the coaches know that the promising boxer can achieve more.
With the Asian Games, an Olympic qualifying event, scheduled in September, Nishant feels his first target is to raise his endurance level. “I noticed that my endurance goes down towards the closing stages of a fight. Boxers who cut weight face such difficulties. I need to work on that,” said Nishant.
Simms has high hopes for Nishant. “He believes in himself. It was a point in time when people really didn’t believe in him and he, all of a sudden, came out of nowhere and made it happen and he has continued to do that.
The only way is up
“It’s only up for Nishant from here. He wants to go to the Olympics and win the gold. Competing in this World championship is going to help him,” said Simms, underlining that if Nishant followed his plan then he would be an internationally known professional champion by 2028.
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