Training in Brazil helped me: Boxer Hitesh Gulia

Time of India

3 days ago

Hitesh Gulia
NEW DELHI: Hitesh Gulia has emerged as one of the most promising Indian pugilists in the men's 70kg division after securing back-to-back podium finishes in the Brazil and Kazakhstan stages of the World Boxing Cup.
In Brazil, Gulia became the first Indian boxer to win gold at the inaugural edition of the World Cup, a newly launched series of top-tier competitions by the sport's global governing body, World Boxing (WB).
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In Kazakhstan, the 20-year- old from Haryana's Jhajjar district delivered another strong performance, reaching the final before losing to Bra- zil's Kaian Oliveira and earn- ing a silver medal.
His impressive medal tally at successive World Cups has positioned him as one of the favourites to secure a podium finish at the forthcoming World Cham- pionships in Liverpool, UK, in Sept this year and subsequently at the Asian Games in 2026.
'It has been productive two World Cups for me. Winning a gold and silver will definitely boost my confidence ahead of the World Championships. I want to win gold there. India will also be hosting the World Boxing Cup Finals in Nov and it would be great to win in front of the home crowd. I trained for the World Cups in Brazil with in- ternational boxers. That ex- perience helped me a lot,' Gulia told TOI.
Gulia started boxing for fit- ness in 2014, weighing 55kg at the age of 10.
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His initial aim was to improve fitness, but as he began competing seriously in district and state-level age group competitions, his pas- sion for the sport intensified.
Over the years, he not only shed flab but he also won med- als in many competitions. His breakthrough moment came in March last year when he was called to join the senior India national camp. He competed in his first international competition at the Elorda Cup in Astana but was eliminated in the opening round.
He subsequently refined his technique and won gold medals at the Inter-Services meet, the boxing Nationals, and the Na- tional Games in Uttarakhand earlier this year.
'I come from a humble background. My father Satya- prakash worked as a farmer and later as a driver with a pri- vate company. His modest in- come wasn't sufficient to sup- port our family of six. He later had a knee surgery as he was unable to walk properly, which cost us a fortune.
'My father sold his pater- nal home in Jahangirpur village (Bahadurgarh) to fund my boxing and support the family. We shifted to rent- ed accommodation in Jhaj- jar city. I am the youngest of four siblings. 'My father knew that it is essential for a boxer to get proper diet and nutrition. I am happy that I have been able to repay the faith and support shown by my family. The mon- etary rewards and recognition through boxing helped us fi- nancially,' he said.
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