Personalities

- Nisha Millet
- Vijay Bharadwaj
- Aparna Popat
- P. Gopichand
- Mahesh Bhupathi
- Anil Kumble
- P.Anil Kumar

Young Achievers

- Punkaj Advani
- Shilpa Sequeira
- Neema Joyappa
- B.N. Chandrika

Interview

- Roger Binny
- M Azharuddin
- Raman Subba Row
- Ashok Shandilya

Review

Sports History

Boxing

A sport of the Sumerians around 300 B.C., Pugilism otherwise known as the Art of Boxing became popular with Romans during 900 B.C. Roman contestants bound their hands with leather cestus and fought with each other. Sometimes they wore spikes on their hands and fought to death. The Roman emperors, however, stopped this gory practice leading to the death of pugilism. Realising that pugilism was the lesser or the two evils as compared to duelling to death with swords, Italian priest St. Bernadine revived boxing in the 13th Century. But the game did not grow beyond St. Bernadine and had to wait till the 18th Century before it could become a popular sport among the Britishers.

Though Jem Mace is generally regarded as the father of modern boxing, two other Britishers also played a major role in the promotion of the game in England. James Figg, who became the first boxing champion, also promoted the game by opening a school, where he taught a style, which was a combination of wrestling and boxing. Jack Broughton then took up the mantle of promotion and invented the padded gloves called as muffers, which were mostly used during practice. Broughton also devised a set of rules, which were followed till the Marquis of Queensberry Rules were adopted. To the Marquis of Queensberry also goes the credit of revolutionising boxing from a low brow sport to an aristocratic game. Jem Mace then popularised the game in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and America. Jem Mace also discovered many boxing greats like Bob Filzzimmon (popularly known as Ruby Roberts), who has the distinction or winning world titles under the middleweight, light heavy weight and heavy weight categories. T his record still remains unsurpassed.

Boxing came to India via the British Army and some of the then prominent boxers like Gunner Moir, R.G.A. Bombardin and Bill Webbs began their boxing careers in India. Moir and Webbs later went on to become British Heavy Weight champions.

Though native Indians did not show much keenness towards the sport, many Anglo Indians soon took to the game and their efforts received further impetus with James Knox becoming the Superintendent of Licensed Measures. He encouraged the Anglo Indians to take to the sport and thus the Measures Athletic Club became a leading institution for the promotion of professional boxers. Some of the leading boxers included Kid D'Silva, Henry O'Dricoll, Charlie Duff, Dennis Barbaro, Clausy Neil, Robin Neil, Milton Kubes, Edgar Bright, Kateri, Soares brothers, Frank Melina, Louis, Gunboat Jack and Young Tully.

The end of the British rule also saw the end of professional boxing in India. But, amateur boxing took root with the formation of the All India Boxing Federation at a meeting of the provincial representatives in Calcutta on May 13, 1948. A.K. Sen was elected as president and P.C. Misra as secretary. However, Bombay can be called the home of Indian Amateur boxing. The Bombay Presidency Amateur Boxing Federation (BPABF) was formed in 1925 with direct affiliation to the Amateur Boxing Association of England. The Bombay Presidency Amateur Boxing Federation played a major role in promoting the sport throughout the country, before the formation of the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation, which was founded at the behest of the International Olympic Committee. The BPABF became the Bombay Amateur Boxing Federation in 1951 and was subsequently renamed as the Maharashtra Amateur Boxing Association in 1961.

The dominance and prominence of Bombay in the early years of Indian amateur boxing can be gauged from the fact that most of the early office?bearers of the IABF belonged to that city, which was the nucleus of Indian amateur boxing. The first National Amateur Boxing Championship was held in the Brabourne Stadium, Bombay on March 18, 1950 and A. Thomas of Maharashtra was crowned as the first National Champion.

Boxing bouts are now held under the following categories: light flyweight (not exceeding 45 kgs); flyweight (over 48 kgs, but not exceeding 51 kgs); bantam weight (51 to 54); feather weight (54 to 57); light weight (57 to 60); light welter weight (60 to 63.15); welter weight (63.5 to 67); light middle weight (67 to 71); middle weight (71 to 75); light heavy weight (75 to 81); heavy weight (81 to 91); and super heavy weight (over 91).

The Ring: The boxing ring measures 20 feet square inside the line or the rope and shall not be three feet or more than four feet above the ground or the base. The platform shall be constructed level and free from any obstructions and shall extend 46 cms outside the line of rope. The corners shall be well padded. The floor shall be covered with felt, rubber or other suitable approved material of the same quality of elasticity, not less than 1.3 cms thick and not more than 1.9 cms thick over which canvas shall cover the entire platform.

GLOVES: The boxers shall only wear gloves approved by the lndian Amateur Boxing Federation with the following specifications: Boxers upto and including 67 kgs shall wear gloves weighing 227 gms (eight ounces) and boxers over 67 kgs shall wear gloves weighing 284 gms (10 ounces).