An Olympian looks for opponents at home
Boxer Vikas is taking help of family members to train during lockdown
NEWDELHI: To say that Vikas Krishan has a competitive bent of mind would be an understatement. The boxer cannot live without an adversary, but to his dismay the lockdown has left him with none. To tide over the situation, Krishan has found “opponents”, albeit on a different playing field, at home to keep the mind occupied. “I love playing chess so I taught my parents during lockdown; I thought why not make some opponents at home,” says the 28-year-old. “Tomorrow if the lockdown is extended, I won’t have opponents. What will I do then? This will come in handy.”
Having secured an Olympic berth for the third time, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion was already in a two-week self-quarantine period after returning from the qualifiers in Jordan when the government announced a three-week lockdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Used to his routine, it has left the 2010 Asian Games champion exasperated. “Train in the morning, rest, train again in the evening, sleep—this is a sportsman’s routine. I’ve been following this regimen for 17-18 years, and if it suddenly stops, you have this odd feeling inside,” says Krishan, who won silver at the Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Amman in early March.
“I am quite frustrated because I am used to a schedule—training, resting, and eating meals at a specific time. At home there’s no system, so the schedule has gone haywire. We don’t have an option as we can’t step out.”
Not stepping out doesn’t mean he hasn’t been training. For more than six months, Krishan had trained regularly before the pandemic stopped all sports around the globe. To maintain rhythm, he is training at home in Bhiwani, India’s boxing hub in Haryana, and has roped in family members to help him. “I have a skipping rope, focus and punching pads, dumbbells. My father is helping me out. You have to find some help during these times. I have taught him how to hold the punching pads, he helps me practice. Something is better than nothing, right?” says the southpaw. “I also swim with my kids in the farmhouse pool.”
It wasn’t long ago that Krishan was drawn into the cash-rich, glitzy world of professional boxing after securing an Asian Games bronze in 2018. But after winning his first two bouts in the pro world, including a bout at New York’s hallowed Madison Square Garden a year ago, the lure of achieving Olympic success drew him back to the amateur fold. And he reckons the about turn will benefit him hugely. “Pro boxing is totally different—the training, harder opponents have made me tough. Earlier when I used to bleed (in a bout) I’d think ‘okay, no problem’. Now I want to hit my opponent even harder and crush him,” says Krishan, who feels the Olympics next year gives him one more year to train even better. “Like during the qualifiers I got a cut above the eye in the first minute of Round 1. Three full rounds were left and I won against a guy who was a two-time World Championship medallist.”
Having qualified for Tokyo, Krishan intends to enter pro boxing once more before the Tokyo Games. “I want to do 3-4 pro fights before going to Olympics. It gives you a lot of confidence.”
Some experts feel it could prove a disadvantage in the amateur code where scoring points matter more than the weight of the punch.
An Olympic medal will help make amends for his controversial exit at the 2012 London Games. He was initially declared a 13-11 winner in the 69kg prequarterfinal against American Errol Spence, but the result was reversed and the US boxer declared 15-13 winner following an appeal. A protest by the Indian camp was rejected. Krishan later blamed his fitness for the bout proving a close affair in the first place. Krishan believes shifting back to 69kg from 75kg gives him a significant advantage over opponents. “In 75kg I had asli (real) power so in 69kg my power is at another level. I don’t think anyone has power like me in the world,” says a confident Krishan. “Coaches who have seen my World Championship fights also feel that if I hit my opponents even once they will become careful. Plus I have height and size advantage in 69kg. In 75kg, most are of my size but in 69kg there’s hardly anyone bigger than me.”
Away from the ring for more than a month, Krishan spends this “rest period” with 15 family members, teaching his two sons and a daughter—aged six, five and three—ludo. The last time he had such a long break was in 2013 when he got married. “For the first week my wife was very happy I was home but not after that,” he chuckles. “She has had to change her routine because of me. Earlier she would cook when she wanted to but now has to prepare a healthy diet for me, according to my routine.”
His parents are polishing their chess prowess all the time. Asked if they have managed to beat him, Krishan says: “Not yet. Nowadays they are playing against each other. They don’t have the experience to beat me.”