Imtiaz Ahmed/Guwahati

Boxing has become one of the most glamourous sports in Assam after Lovlina Borgohain returned with a bronze from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Earlier too with players like Sam Daniel, Shiva Thapa (Olympian), and Ankushita Boro (world champion), Assam has always been a dominant force in Indian boxing.

Dibrugarh’s boxer Imdad Hussain is one of the emerging pugilists from the state who is doing well despite the inherent issues of lack of infrastructure and other support. The 18-year-old’s latest podium finish ended in a silver medal in the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 at Panchkula, Haryana.

Imdad was groomed by his father Inamul Hussain at Dibrugarh Boxing Academy. Given his latest performance at the national level, he seems to emerge as a successor to Olympians Shiva Thapa, Lovlina Borgohain, and Ankushita Boro.

Imdad at National Junior Championship, Anandpur Sahib, Punjab

Imdad took to boxing at the age of 11 with his father, a former national player, as his coach. Within a year he was playing at the national level as he represented Assam in the National School Games at Anandpur Sahib, Punjab. Imdad is currently training at the Army Sports Institute in Pune under the Khelo India Talent Search and Development Scheme.

“He used to be an admirer of the legendary Muhammad Ali ever since his childhood and would often tell us that he wants to play like him. He would also follow me closely and try to emulate others. Recognizing his talent, I took the initiative of developing an academy so that he could be groomed. He is dedicated and works hard; does not even think about anything beyond boxing,” Inamul Hussain told Awaz-the Voice about his son.

A bronze medallist in junior nationals, Imdad has made several podia finishes in Khelo India games starting with a gold medal in the Khelo India boxing nationals at Guwahati in 2017 to a silver in the Khelo India Youth Games at Panchkula this year after a bronze at the Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati. Imdad has also participated in the 4th Emil Jechev Youth International Boxing Championship in Bulgaria in 2019.

Inamul Hussain says about his son: “I believe he is presently in the hands of the right people; he has the potential to make it big. As of now, we are focused of the senior nationals, Asian Championships, etc. If he does well in Asian Championships, we can hope he will be a force to reckon with at World Championships or the Olympics.”

Imdad could not be contacted for his comments because the trainees at the Army Sports Institute are not allowed to use phones on campus. They are allowed to call home only once a week, his father said.

Elaborating on the Dibrugarh Boxing Academy which has produced Imdad, his father Inamul said, “it’s a completely private facility without any contribution from the government or the Assam Amateur Boxing Association. I initiated the project worth about Rs 20 lakh that I raised after selling some property. Besides, I am grateful to sports organizers Niranjan Saikia and Hridayananda Konwar who extended very active support towards the project. We three are running the academy with the bare minimum possible facilities.”

Imdad at National Khelo Indian games, Panchkula

The state has emerged as a boxing powerhouse of India through government patronizations like the Sports Authority of India or the Assam government facilities. Barring an academy at Ledo in the Tinsukia district, set up by former pugilist the late Sam Daniel, which is presently being run with financial support from Coal India Ltd, there is no other state-of-the-art boxing infrastructure in the state. Lately, Gauhati Town Club has come up with an academy in Guwahati.

Hussain, however, mentioned that despite the limited facilities they have been able to provide to the trainees in their academy, at least 25 out of a total of 60 trainees have cut the national events and 16 of them have bagged medals.

“We could have produced more players if we had money to sponsor the boxers. This is a sport where children hailing from economically backward sections of the society take more interest and turn out to be true potential. Most of them cannot bear the expense of participating in tournaments,” he explained.