His left eyebrow still bears the bruises from the last fight. On August 5, the 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist won his first bout after turning professional. He beat Australian Ty Gilchrist in a technical knock-out in the junior welterweight category during the Battleground Asia. The Haryana boxer, not known for mincing his words, is all gung-ho after his first bout and is ready for the tough road ahead.
“It's just the beginning,” Kumar, of the open guard fame, told THE WEEK on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi. “I promise you, I will be ready for the next bout very soon. I am just happy to compete. All I wanted was to continue boxing till the time I could.”
Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh turning pro a year ago, sparked interest in the sport in India. Consequently, the Indian Boxing Council was formed—the body that would administer, train boxers and coaches and bring a proper structure in pro boxing. It was also a matter of time before Vijender's contemporaries in India, too, turned pro. It helped that they had Vijender as an example—on what needs to be done and what are the pitfalls while turning pro.
The journey from the little-known Bhiwani Boxing Club to the bright lights, loud music and high-voltage action has been a long and tireless one. Talking about the lessons he learnt from his first bout, Kumar said, “It's about body control; you don’t need to go all out in one go. But when you get the chance, you have to finish it.”
Unlike Vijender, Akhil is not looking to shift his base to another country. He is confident that he can fine-tune his pro boxing skills in India. There are no foreign promoters for him or his best buddy, Olympian Jitender Kumar who also turned pro alongside him.
“The only advantage of training abroad is that you get better sparring partners. Otherwise, I think I have the knowledge and experience to help me as a pro boxer. I am aware of what needs to be done. I have a qualified trainer Amardeep Verma. He is a certified trainer from Hisar, Haryana.”
At 36, Akhil may find pro boxing a bit tough. Instead of the three rounds in amateur boxing, he has to train himself to fight for 6-8 rounds in pro boxing. In his first bout, however, he showed that he still has the speed and reflexes. “My ligament injury has not allowed me to train the way I wanted to, but I am now focused on it. My speed is okay and reflexes are fine. My fitness is what I need to improve further,” he said, brushing aside the age factor.
Akhil, a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Haryana, like Vijender, took permission from his department before turning pro. He has a one-year contract with IOS Promotions. Getting bouts isn’t easy, as even Vijender found out. Akhil is aware of the hurdles but remains positive.
He has, however, one advice for all pugilists who are now looking at pro boxing as a worthwhile career. “A boxer who wants to turn pro must realise that he will only be good at pro boxing, if he has done well as an amateur boxer. So, all those who want to turn pro must prove themselves as amateurs. It's important. You will be valued on that basis. All past greats, be it Mohammed Ali or Amir Khan, were great amateur boxers first.”
