Manoj Kumar (boxer)

Manoj Kumar (born 10 December 1986) is an Indian boxer who won a gold medal in the light welterweight division at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He hails from the village of Rajound in the Kaithal district of Haryana.[10]

Manoj Kumar
Personal information
Full nameManoj Kumar Kaltagdia[1]
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipIndian
Born (1986-12-10) 10 December 1986[2]
Rajound,[3] Kaithal, Haryana
Height172 cm (5 ft 8 in)[4]
Sport
SportAmateur boxing
Coached byRajesh Kumar Rajound[5]
Medal record
Representing  India
Commonwealth Games
2010 Delhi Light welterweight
2018 Gold CoastWelterweight
Asian Championships
2007 Ulaanbaatar Light welterweight
2013 Amman Light welterweight
Grand Prix Czech Boxing Championship
2017[6] Light welterweight
Doha International Tournament
2015[7] Light welterweight
South Asian Games
2016 Guwahati[8]Light welterweight
Czech Grand Prix
2009[9] Light welterweight

Early life and debut in boxing

Kumar was born on 10 December 1986 in Rajound village, 30 km from Kaithal, Haryana. His father Sher Singh retired from the Indian Army, while his mother is a housewife. Manoj Kumar initially started his career as an athlete, while his elder brother Rajesh Kumar Rajound was an emerging boxer. When Rajesh Kumar Rajound won gold in the University championship he was expecting to be selected for the national team. However he was ignored, and therefore decided to bring his younger brother into boxing. He started to coach Manoj Kumar and also insisted his younger brother Mukesh Kumar change from judo to boxing to become a sparring partner of Manoj Kumar. All three travelled from their village Rajound to Kaithal to train. In the early days they trained with the help of old bicycle tubes.[11]

Manoj Kumar became national Champion for the first time when he beat defending champion Som Bahadur Pun in 2008.[12][13] After that Manoj never looked back. He won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.[14]

Career

Commonwealth Games 2010
  • Won against D Lassayo (Sierra Leone)
  • Won against G Gaasite (Botswana)
  • Won against B Mathenge of Kenya in the quarters
  • Won 3–1 against V Knowles of Bahamas in a low scoring semifinal
  • Won 11–2 against Bradley Saunders of England in the final and became champion.

2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships

Kumar reached the quarterfinals, losing 18–24 to Tom Stalker, at the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Earlier in the competition, Kumar had defeated Valentino Knowles of Bahamas 17–11, Ray Moylette of Ireland 19–7 and Hu Qing of China 17–15.[15] This last victory against Hu Qing had sealed his qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games.

London Olympics 2012

Manoj won the first round against Serdar Hudayberdiyev of Turkmenistan by a score of 13–7 and advanced to the last 16. But he lost his pre-quarterfinal bout against world #1 ranked Tom Stalker of Great Britain.[16] The final score read 20–16, the break-up being 7–4, 9–5, 4–7 in the favor of Stalker.[17] Expressing disapproval at the second round scoring, Manoj cited "blatant cheating" as the reason for his defeat as he exited the competition.[18]

2014 Commonwealth Games

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Sam Maxwell.[19]

2016 South Asian Games

In 2016 South Asian Games held in Guwahati, Manoj Kumar wins gold medal in his weight category.

2018 India Open International Boxing Tournament

In 2018, India Open International Boxing Tournament held in Delhi, Manoj Kumar wins bronze medal in his weight category.

Awards

He was awarded Arjuna Award by Government of India in 2014. Initially he was not considered for Arjuna Award by the selection committee headed by former Indian Cricket Team Captain Kapil Dev. However, his coach Rajesh Kumar Rajound file a case against the selection committee on 26 August 2014 in Delhi High Court. Rajesh claimed that Manoj was the most deserving sports person for the Arjuna Award and that the selection committee ignored him. Delhi High Court accepted his petition and after seeing all the facts directed the government to honor Manoj Kumar with the "Arjuna Award".[20][21][22][23]

He won the bronze at Commonwealth Games 2018

References
  1. "About Boxer Manoj Kumar". Facebook. Boxer Manoj Kumar. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  2. "Manoj Kumar: Profile 2012 London Olympics". Zee News. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  3. "Haryana: Boxer Manoj Kumar approaches CM Manohar Lal khattar grievance window, seeks DSP post". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  4. "Manoj Kumar". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  5. Manoj Kumar Archived 19 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. nbcolympics.com
  6. "Manoj Kumar strike gold at Czech boxing". Indian Express. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  7. "Indian boxers win four gold medals at Doha International". Times Of India. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  8. "SAG Boxing". Press Information Bureau. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  9. "Manoj only new face in boxing". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
  10. Sharma, Nitin (1 September 2010). "Manoj only new face in boxing". Indian Express. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  11. Manoj only new face in boxing – Indian Express. Archive.indianexpress.com (1 September 2010). Retrieved on 24 August 2016.
  12. Pun skips replay. The Hindu (12 September 2008). Retrieved on 24 August 2016.
  13. Railways claim National Boxing title – Rediff.com Sports. Rediff.com (12 September 2008). Retrieved on 24 August 2016.
  14. "India boxers' CWG show outstanding: International Boxing Association". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 17 October 2010. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  15. Manoj Kumar's profile from the AIBA website Archived 19 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Tom Stalker is ranked world number 1 at 64kg in the latest official AIBA World Rankings. Abae.co.uk. Retrieved on 24 August 2016.
  17. Boxer Manoj Kumar Alleges Foul Play in Thomas Stalker Bout at Olympics. Ibtimes.co.in (5 August 2012). Retrieved on 24 August 2016.
  18. Duggal, Saurabh (5 August 2012). "Heartache continues as Manoj cries foul". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  19. "Glasgow 2014 – Manoj Manoj Kumar Profile". g2014results.thecgf.com. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  20. Boxer Manoj Kumar drags Arjuna Award selection committee to Delhi High Court over non-selection | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis. Dnaindia.com (26 August 2014). Retrieved on 24 August 2016.
  21. Arjuna Award snub! Boxer Manoj Kumar to sue Sports Ministry : Other Sports, News – India Today. Indiatoday.intoday.in (20 August 2014). Retrieved on 24 August 2016.
  22. Boxer Manoj Kumar to file case against Sports Ministry – timesofindia-economictimes. Articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved on 24 August 2016.
  23. Papnai, Chaitan (26 November 2014). "Boxer Manoj Kumar finally receives Arjuna Award; lashes out at Kapil Dev". Zee News.
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