He Is The Only Indian Who Fought With The Legendary Muhammad Ali

The only Indian to take on the champ
The superfluous popularity of cricket in India has led to the overlooking of several other sports in the country. And for the same reason, many great athletes in the country did not get their due recognition. A victim of the similar circumstance is the former heavyweight boxer, Kaur Singh. Among the many accomplishments of Kaur Singh, he has the unique distinction of being the only Indian to fight the legendary boxer.

Awards galore
The 1982 Arjuna Award winner and 1983 Padmashri winner is spending his life as a small-time farmer in Punjab’s Malwa region. Once upon a time, he was India’s finest professional boxer who won the gold medal in the men’s heavyweight category the 1982 Asian Games. He is also the only Indian to fight the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali, during his visit to India in 1980.

Kaur joined the Indian Army in 1971 at the age of 23 as a havildar. he developed his interest towards boxing and took up the sport in 1977. He competed in the senior national boxing championship in 1979 where he won a gold medal in the heavyweight category. He remained the national champion for four years till 1983. He also boxed his way to six gold medals in the international competitions, including the Asian Games of 1982.

Marginalization of veterans
The boxer who is presently 68-years-old still waiting for the Rs 1 lakh cash award announced by the Punjab government for winning the gold medal in Delhi Asiad, 34 years ago. But there is barely any chance of finally receiving the money.

The Logical Indian salutes Kaur Singh’s career and his achievements, we as citizens are all indeed proud of the same. We request the central and state government to support him and provide him a role where he could nurture and inspire future boxers of our country