SUNDAY VIBES
(Back row, first from right) during his younger days.
threw at him.
“I’m not a positive person by nature. In fact, I’m 90 per cent negative,” I recall him telling me during that last interview.
His brows furrowing, Agilan, who credits Monarchy’s chief Muay Thai coach, Conrado Furlan (Coco) as the man who has helped turn him around, shares: “In the past, I used to think that every time I get into the ring, I deserved to win because I’d trained so hard. Today, it’s more like, oh, I’ve trained so hard so it’s now time for me to show my skills. It doesn’t matter if I win or lose. I’d be pretty pleased if someone were to say, oh no, Agilan got taken down so many times, but man, his cardio was good. The small, small things give me the biggest satisfaction now.”
Suffice to say, the fighter is definitely a lot more accepting of life.
Says Agilan, who has a weakness for sports shoes and dogs: “I’m okay now with the idea that it’s not possible to control everything. But I can control what I do as a result of the bad call. You just have to move on,” he says, a fleeting smile crossing his face. Having tasted sweet success at his Shanghai showdown and thus ending his losing streak, Agilan confides that he’s craving for more outings in The Home of Martial Arts.
“I’m just thankful for every opportunity given by ONE to me. I’m enjoying what I do more than ever and I really am looking forward to getting in more ‘battles’ before the year is out. It’s important for me to continue the momentum.”
Be “When I was younger, I used to say to myself that I was doing this because I wanted to become a world champion. Now I realise it’s more about the lifestyle. I enjoy everything that a fighter’s life entails.”
His brows furrowing, Agilan, who now has a new girlfriend, a fellow martial artist, adds: “What do I enjoy the most? Where can I really express myself in the best way possible? In the ring, of course! I derive great satisfaction from going into a fight, taking and throwing punches, seeing so many people around me and being able to show my skills — the very thing I’ve been working so hard on in training. There’s a certain high to all this!”
He understands that a fighter’s life can be short-lived. After all, he has seen many of his fellow fighters succumb to injury or reached the point where a life in the ring is no longer what it used to be.
Does he have a Plan B, I ask.
Leaning forward, his shoulders hunched somewhat, Agilan contemplates the question. A pause ensues before he eventually replies: “My life is very simple. If you don’t see me in the ring or with ONE anymore, you’ll probably see me back at Monarchy (gym) working as an instructor. The coaches and the team there have helped me a lot so it would be time for me to give back.
“Whatever I have today, I got from Monarchy, from my skills, knowledge, approach, training, even my brown belt! Who knows, maybe one day I might be able to buy shares in the gym!”
Agilan’s journey to where he is today — from an overweight teenager into an elite combat sports athlete — has certainly been a remarkable one.
“I didn’t have this kind of support before. Prior to this, I had the backing of one or two sponsors who helped me to get here and I kept a day job. I worked as a cleaner and as an instructor in the gym,” he muses aloud as we begin to wind down our session to prepare for a photoshoot.
Furthermore, life had never been a bed of roses. The athlete was singlehandedly brought up by his father.
His mother, he shares, without the slightest trace of bitterness, left them when he was only nine months old.
A small smile playing on his lips, Agilan, an only child, confides: “My mum ran away but whenever anyone asked where she was, I’d reply that she went for the Olympics and never came back.”
Was she an athlete? I exclaim, surprised. He beams and replies: “Err... not that I know of!”
The fact that he struggled with his weight during his childhood is something he attributes to his penchant for snacking on junk food while watching TV.
Chuckling, Agilan confesses sheepishly: “Yeah, I was obese. At age 17, I weighed 140kg. I ate and I didn’t exercise.”
Despite all the challenges, the boy’s done good. And as Agilan keeps re-iterating, he’s in a good place now. And when one’s in a good place, everything will no doubt fall into place!
intanm@nst.com.my