While the whole of India was watching the national cricket team dismantle a clueless English Test outfit, an unthinkable feat was being put together by a 17-year-old wheat farmer in Russia. Fighting in the light-flyweight category (49 kg), Sachin Siwach won his bout to become only the third ever junior world boxing champion in the nation's history.
Make no mistake, this is a huge achievement; so huge, in fact, that even India's current top boxers – including Vijender Singh – were not able to pull it off. And the victory sounds even sweeter when you factor in the general apathy and lack of legitimacy that have become synonymous with Indian boxing over the past four years.
The country's boxing governing body had been banned by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) from 2012 until 2016 because of its inability to host transparent elections. It was a political problem that quickly spiralled into a sporting one, with Indian pugilists not being allowed to represent the nation in international events. For the past four years there have been no national level tournaments, with camps being held only before major events such as the Olympics.
All the signs pointed to a quick extinction of arguably India's strongest Olympic sport.
It figures, then, that Sachin's victory in such a climate was thoroughly unexpected. Most publications and state federations didn't even know his full name; they carried his name as 'Sachin Singh.' It was only upon his return to India that everyone learned his actual surname – Siwach.
Currently ranked World No. 2 in his category, Sachin began competing at the international level only a year ago. His rise is the fastest hierarchical climb in the junior circuit so far, and it comes at a time when India has returned from its worst boxing performance at an Olympic event in recent memory – the country sent just three pugilists to Rio, which is a record low since the turn of the century.
The cow that changed his life
Born and brought up in Mitathal, a village around 20 km away from Bhiwani, Haryana, Sachin took to boxing at the age of 10. His father Krishan, also a wheat farmer, often received complaints from coaches about his son's poor diet.
Sachin says, "When I started boxing properly in the sub-junior category, which is U-13, my coach gave me a very hefty diet, because I was really skinny. We barely made any money to make ends meet. Milk was something we could only afford on a weekly basis, and not 3-4 times a day. Even the gloves that I had were given to me by the coach himself. If I couldn't afford new gloves, you can imagine (how) drinking milk and eating such high proteins on a daily basis was out of the question.
"But you know, I'm a firm believer in destiny, and (that) whatever happens, happens for a reason. During that time, there were incessant rains, and our income was less than Rs. 500 a month, so I needed a stroke of luck. An estranged cow randomly entered our village while I was running errands on the field. After checking with the village elders, we came to know that it didn't belong to anyone else. We decided to adopt the cow, (and) this changed my boxing career forever," he adds.
Upon adopting the cow, Sachin began to meet the dietary requirements for participating in the sub-junior category. He also created a business model around the cow, to fuel his boxing career. A 12-year-old Sachin went from door to door selling the cow's milk, and he used the money to travel for tournaments across the state and buy as much equipment as he possibly could.
Fortune always favours the brave, and also the persistent. In October 2010, a heftier Sachin destroyed the opposition to win gold at the sub-junior Haryana State Championship. His performances were so eye-catching that he was immediately sent to the junior category – a full three years before most boxers make the transition.
Another year went by, and Sachin's hard work outside the ring also began to bear fruit. The money he earned from the milk business helped him buy a train ticket and arrange for accommodation at the nationals in 2011. He says, "I couldn't completely fund the money myself; a lot of it was given by Coach Sir (Sanjay Sheoran). But just six months before that I couldn't even dream of leaving the state. As I said, if you want something bad enough, and you're ready to dedicate all your time into that, luck – or as I would say, destiny – will follow you. I made it to the junor nationals, which was a big deal for me. Now I could compare myself against the country's best."
A spirited run would see him go up to the quarterfinals, where he was knocked out. He says, “I was sitting at home, thinking 'how can I get better?' I don't have any money to continue practising at that national level. The very next day, I heard that three boxers from Bhiwani, which is very close to my village, had made it to the Olympics. I honestly had no clue who they were, but I immediately decided that this is where I want to be. If I want to be the best, I have to fight the best, and there can be no excuses such as no money.”
"The more I delayed, the further I would be pushed back. So I decided to sell my cow. Yes, it was a big investment for us as a family – the cow was our only bread winner during the rains. But the wheat farming had picked up, and my parents were managing to make ends meet. So I decided to sell the cow and move to Bhiwani," he adds.
Upon reaching Bhiwani, Sachin had to make the difficult decision of choosing a coaching academy. At that time there was a meteoric rise in the number of kids taking up boxing, thanks to Vijender's success. And almost all of them were queuing up to join the Bhiwani Boxing Club, where Akhil Kumar, Vikas Krishan and Vijender trained prior to London.
Sachin figured that in such a crowded place, one-to-one interaction between him and the coach would be much less. So he turned his back on Bhiwani Boxing Club and instead joined Captain Hawa Singh Academy, where he met Sanjay Sheoran – the son of Arjuna Awardee Hawa Singh. In doing so, he was also following a family tradition of sorts.
Sachin says, "One of the greatest motivators in my life was my uncle, also known as Vijender Singh; he represented India twice, and he was the one who got me into boxing. He also trained under Hawa Singh, so apart from the one-to-one thing, I also wanted to keep my family tradition alive of having another member represent India. Since then, I haven't looked back."
Within three months of training, Sachin became Haryana junior champion – at just 13 years of age, the lowest till date in the sport's history. 2012 would prove to be a productive year for Sachin, as his coach willingly funded his national and state level trips. However, for the sport in the country as a whole, this was the lull before the storm.
How India’s boxing ban almost destroyed his career
In December 2012, AIBA officially suspended India as a boxing nation. Sachin says, "I think I was around 13 or 14 at the time, and I'll be honest - we didn't even bother about it much. Hum log boxer hain yaar, politics nahi samajh aati. Kahin pe bhi jhanda gaad dete hain aur khelna chalu karte hain (We are boxers man, we don't understand politics. We put four sticks in the mud and begin boxing right there). But Coach Sir looked really worried; he told me that we cannot compete under the Indian flag. It then hit me, but at that young age you really don't understand what it is."
Little did Sachin know he was about to witness the darkest period in the history of Indian boxing. Between 2013 and 2015, he couldn't take part in a single national championship event. The reason? There was no committee to organise it.
Sachin says, "For years we took it for granted that the nationals are there, then international. I still remember the first one got cancelled in June, then September, then December. After a point everyone started leaving the sport. No boxers are going abroad, and the ones that were (going) represented the AIBA flag and not India. There were no tournaments. In Bhiwani, we began doing inter-academy tournaments, but we could only go so far doing that. State level was happening, but for me, who was already the top of the state in my category, I couldn't progress further."
Sachin's coach Sanjay has his own take on just how damaging India's boxing exile was. "I think for us, as an academy and for Sachin, this was by far the most difficult time," he says. "He is from a humble background, but you know, when your will and talent are strong enough, you can come out of that. At that time, we saw talented boxers, juniors and seniors just leave because there were no tournaments, there were no sponsors and there were no quality opponents.”
"People needed to make ends meet. My academy went from having 110 members to just 34 in less than a year's time. However, you won't believe me when I say this, (but) even though deep down it affected him, Sachin never showed it. For him, it was like another barrier to overcome towards success – be it not being able to afford gloves or not being allowed to represent India. So we took the conscious decision of diverting all the academy resources towards Sachin, as he was showing tremendous potential," Sanjay adds.
From selling milk to Junior world champion: A journey of never giving up
In 2014, Sachin took the only opportunity a boxer had to play a tournament abroad, by winning the Federation Cup in convincing fashion. He didn't drop a single game throughout the championship, which shows his motivation levels at a time when interest in the sport was at an all-ime low. He secured a slot at the 2015 World Championship, but he would not be representing India.
Sachin says, "It was quite disappointing for me when I went there that I was not being referred to as an Indian. As you grow up, the most important thing for you is your country; all I have done till date is for my country, and that's my motivation. But I also knew that if one day India is recognised again, I must be ready. Not only should I be ready, but I should be at the top of the food chain."
Fast forward to September 2015. Sachin is breathing heavily as his first round match-up is on the main stage, against the World No. 5. In his five-year junior career, he had never seen this big an audience and this big a stage for boxing. He was used to dilapidated structures with worn-out ring-mats and a referee who didn't even dress in proper attire.
Sanjay says of that experience, "I was with him at this trip, I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm someone who examines the world scenario a lot because I need notice (about) who are his immediate opponents; I watch videos on the internet etc. However, to see such infrastructure in person was something we couldn't believe. Were we intimidated? Not really. We were just so happy that our hard work had helped us reach here at this stage, when everyone around us had given up. We wouldn't trade it for anything."
Sachin would have a prolific rookie run, eventually winning the bronze medal – he was the only Indian to secure a podium position at the event. But the achievement went under the media radar, as he was not officially representing India. And what monetary reward did he receive for his feat? A big fat zero.
Sachin says, "Who would give me anything? The federation? There was no federation. Ad-hoc committee? They probably didn't even know that I went, won and came back. To be honest I didn't even expect anything in return. The satisfaction of being one of the world's best in my category was enough. Yes, some funding in terms of infrastructure would have helped a long way. But no one else was getting it anyway, so I had no right to cry foul."
Heading into the 2016 World Championship, there was only one goal for Sachin – being number one. Sanjay says, “Once we got that initial taste of success without actually knowing what was happening outside this cocoon we had lived in for almost four years, it was evident that Sachin had the potential to become the world's best. I decided to invest in him, get proper supplements, get a proper trainer – regardless of the cost.”
“Why did I do it? Well, for one thing, I love boxing, and for another, like my father, I would die for this country. Ever since the first day I saw Sachin box, I knew he had something in him. Obviously, I wasn't sure whether he would win, but I was sure he wouldn't lose either. He will never give up, even if he breaks a leg, an arm whatever. Sachin will never give up; that's his thing," Sanjay adds.
Sachin ended up winning the World Championship, to become the third Indian boxing junior champion. He did this without dropping a single game, and his run included a knockout of Cuba's Jorge Grinan in the final.
This victory is about more than just the records or the trophy or even the fame. It is about a quality that resonates amongst the world's finest athletes.
Between the age of 13 to 17, Sachin continued his boxing career when everyone asked him to give up. They told him there was no future in the sport, and they urged him to find a livelihood elsewhere. However, his ability to transform all this negativity into something positive, at a time when everything seemed lost, is a huge credit to the nation – and also a trait of a future Olympic medallist. This is the kind of maturity that signifies a sporting hero. In a country in a currently starved of those, that can only mean good news.
Sachin ends our conversation with these immortal words: "A lot of people have been saying I've come out of nowhere, which is not the truth. I have been perfecting my craft throughout; if those people didn't notice I can’t help it. If seven years of sacrifice makes me look like an overnight success story, I'm more than happy to do it every day."
