'Boxing requires a lot of dedication'

SMACK THAT

Nithish Arjun Nachappa, an MBA student of St Joseph’s College of Business Administration, was always exposed to sports. With his father JM Appachu being an athletics coach, it was just a matter of time before Nithish entered the field of sports too.

He has a passion for various sports like hockey, shooting and boxing. Currently, his focus is to become a boxer par excellence for which, he is training hard. “My father had gone to Los Angeles in 1984 as a coach to Vandana Rao and in 1986, he had gone for the Summer Olympics in South Korea. He retired recently as the Joint Director of the Department of Youth Services and Sports,” says Nithish, who started boxing five years ago. 

He may have had a late start but Nithish is completely passionate about the sport. “My father told me to take up boxing as it’s an individual sport. He told me that it’s a sport where winning or losing is totally in my hands. And ever since I have been into it, my confidence has increased,” he notes. As all know, boxing is a painful sport too. “But the point of it is you have to be tough and avoid getting hurt,” he smiles.

Though he has been participating in City-level competitions, he was disheartened when he couldn’t go to an All India Inter-University Championship in Madhya Pradesh. “The entire team couldn’t go due to a dispute between two of the associations. A national-level team was sent but the State-level team couldn’t go. There have been a number of mistakes like this in the City when it comes to boxing,” he laments. However, when he got the chance to participate in a championship conducted by Lovely Professional University in Punjab, he was thrilled.

“Managing boxing with academics is really hard. It’s two different dimensions altogether. There is no other way to manage except staying up and studying,” he says.

However, with a great grade point average, Nithish has proved that he is good at both. He was even awarded for being the best student and best goalkeeper (hockey) when he was pursuing his graduation in St Joseph’s College of Commerce. He also won a silver medal at local tournament conducted by the Ramanna Boxing Club.

Grateful to his coaches, he says, “My coach Captain Amaldas sir is an Arjuna awardee and would coach me in the evenings earlier. Now, I train under Satya, who coaches at the Royal Kickboxing Club in Koramangala.” Nithish also practises for 2-2.5 hours in Kanteerava Stadium every evening.

 Nithish is happy with the way boxing is shaping up in the country. “New technology has been coming in and there are many new and good coaches. Plus there is even a boxing academy in Manipur now,” he notes. He feels that budding boxers should be perseverant.

“Boxing requires a lot of dedication. It takes at least three years to be good at it. Many people give up after the first few losses. But only if they stick to the game can they can become a Vijender Singh or Mary Kom,” he adds. “If you start early, you have a double boost. Also no matter how big you get, remember to respect your coaches and teachers. Else you will not last in any field,” he sums up.