New Delhi: On Sunday, India celebrated 20-year-old Hitesh Gulia as its new boxing hero who had won the gold medal at the World Cup in Foz Do Iguacu, Brazil. In the inaugural edition of the World Cup – organised by the sport’s newly-recognised global governing body, World Boxing (WB) – Hitesh became the first Indian boxer to secure the coveted top podium finish. Hitesh won in the final of the men’s 70kg division after his opponent, England’s Odel Kamara, withdrew due to an injury.
The country would have lost this prodigy in 2022 had it not been for the Indian Navy and one of its talent scouts Suranjoy Singh – a 2010 CWG gold medallist and Asian Games bronze winner – who gave Hitesh the opportunity to pursue his boxing dreams. The job gave him a stable financial future and helped him sustain his family.
Hitesh said he would have abandoned boxing three years ago had Suranjoy not offered him employment. “I come from a very humble background. My father (Satyaprakash) worked as a farmer and subsequently as a driver with a private company. His modest income wasn’t sufficient to support our family of six. During the pandemic period in 2022, there were no employ ment opportunities. At the same time, my father had a knee surgery scheduled as he was unable to walk properly. The cost of the surgery was Rs 2.5 lakh. I am the youngest of four siblings. My two elder sisters are preparing for competitive examinations and my elder brother does occasional plumbing work. So, there was no stable source of income. For a boxer to continue, you need proper nutrition and supplements. I wasn’t able to afford that,” Hitesh told TOI over phone from Doha during his layover time while returning back to India from Brazil.
“During that period, I was training at SAI’s national boxing academy (NBA) in Bhiwani. An Indian Navy team, led by coach Suranjoy sir, came to train us for some weeks. I also sparred with their boxers. Suranjoy sir recognised my potential in boxing. He offered me a position as a sailor with the Indian Navy, which I readily accepted. I was 17 years old then. I started receiving a monthly stipend of Rs 9,000 which was substantial for me. I owe my entire boxing career to the Navy. Had it not happened in 2022, I would have certainly quit boxing because I couldn’t sustain the financial burden and would have been started looking for some work,” he said.
Hitesh started boxing for fitness in 2014. He weighed 55kg at the age of 10! His intention was to get fitter but as he started competing seriously in district and state-level age group competitions, his passion for the sport grew.
Over the years, not only did he lose weight, he was down to 40kg at the age of 14, he garnered several medals in the competitions he fought. The breakthrough moment arrived last year in March when he received the senior India call up to join the national camp. He ventured to fight in his first international competition at the Elorda Cup in Astana but unfortunately lost in the opening round. He soon refined his technique and secured gold medals at the Inter-Services meet, the boxing Nationals and more recently the National Games in Uttarakhand in the 70kg category.
“This World Cup victory has been momentous for me. I felt confident about my prospects after training in Brazil with international boxers for 10 days preceding the event. I know this gold will transform everything for me, from recognition to monetary rewards. My next objective is to secure gold for India at the World Championships in Liverpool this year and then excel at the Asian Games in 2026,” he said.
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