Deepak Bhoria has already got himself a gift for his 26th birthday, which he will celebrate on June 9 next week: a maiden World Boxing Championships medal, bronze in the 51kg weight class.
That performance in Tashkent last month was clearly a gift that kept giving. For, it also stoked the fire in his belly. Following a week’s rest, the gritty boxer rejoined the National camp to resume training for the next two big events — the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Paris Olympics.
The soft-spoken Bhoria, who landed a 49kg silver medal in the 2019 Asian Championships, drew everyone’s attention in 2021 by toppling 2016 Rio Olympics gold medallist and 2019 World champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan at the Strandja Memorial event.
Following a long injury layoff in 2022, he returned to action in style. The orthodox boxer came out with flying colours on all parameters of the newly introduced assessment and evaluation process for selection of athletes, scoring more points than Worlds silver medallist and Commonwealth Games champion Amit Panghal.
The Hisar pugilist followed it up with a series of fine performances — including his upset win over Kazakh title holder Saken Bibossinov, who got a taste of the Army man’s superb left hook, in the round of 32 — in the World Championships to underline his reputation as a giant-killer.
Bhoria, who fought well before losing to eventual silver medallist Billal Bennama of France in the semifinals, has taken heart from his superb showing in Tashkent and is keen to lift his game in order to meet the challenges in Hangzhou and Paris.
In an interview, Bhoria, who contributed to the country’s best-ever showing of three bronze medals by the male boxers in the elite event, spoke about his fabulous performance and what lies ahead. Excerpts:
How do you assess your performance in the World Championships and your stunning victory over another World champion Bibossinov?
Overall, it was a very good event [for me]. I got quality competition after a long time. The bout against Bibossinov went as per my plans, the way I thought it should go.
You were out of action for a long time with an injury. How did you come back?
In January 2022, I had a right shoulder injury. There was some pain but it went unnoticed. It was because of overuse [of the shoulder] during training. It was a difficult time. I did rehab with the physio [Alok]. It was a good experience as I learnt the importance of a physio’s role in an athlete’s career.
Early in your career, you suffered an injury to your right hand. Did that experience of bouncing back help you in 2022?
In 2011, my right hand was injured. So I trained with my left hand. As a result, my left improved a lot. At that time I was a sub-junior boxer and did not have much idea [of injury rehab]. Still I could get out of that problem. I thought since I am an elite boxer now I can get over it easily. I needed to be fully fit before getting back to full training. I had a lot of self-belief and focused on my rehab.
You last competed in the 2021 World Championships (and lost in the first round). Then you straightaway participated in the 2023 edition. How did you make up for the lack of competitive experience?
I had my targets set — to compete in the World Championships and Asian Games in 2023 and the Olympics in 2024. I wanted to be fully fit. If I am fit, I can participate in every event. Otherwise, I cannot compete in any event. After one-and-a-half years, I participated in an event. The way I trained instilled a lot of self-belief. My fitness also gave me confidence.
Since the selection process changed and you were assessed over a period of three weeks before the evaluation, did you have any doubts that you might lose out to a more accomplished Amit Panghal?
The evaluation system is really good. I was happy that my performance was being assessed on the basis of my training. After all, what we do in training helps us in the competition. In every weight category there is more than one boxer. My training was good and I had self-belief that I could do well. I never had any doubts.
Some top boxing nations such as Great Britain, the USA and Ireland did not participate in the World Championships (they protested Russian and Belarusian boxers competing under their flags). Do you think their presence would have made it tougher?
In lighter weights, we are better than the boxers from England and other countries. It would not have made any difference.
Since your game will be thoroughly analysed by your opponents, how are you planning to prepare for the upcoming Asian Games (which is an Olympic qualifying event)?
I have gained a lot of confidence after winning the Worlds medal. I will start afresh and work on the areas of improvement for the Asian Games and definitely go to the 2024 Olympics. I have a dream of winning a gold medal in the Olympics. The coaches are teaching us new things, such as how to feint and box. I have competed with Asian boxers, such as [those from] China and Kazakhstan. This will benefit me in the Asian Games and the Olympics as most of the leading countries in my weight are from Asia. We will watch different bouts and plan our sparring accordingly and see what we can add, for example a right hook or an uppercut.
Early in your career you had to go through tough times, primarily due to financial issues. How did you manage to pursue boxing despite the constraints?
I started boxing because I thought it could give me a job, money and fame. I am the only one to pursue sports in my family. My uncle encouraged me. My mother wanted me to study more than do boxing. When I started competing, she became happy. Rajesh Sheoran [my basics coach] helped me a lot. I learnt the sport and its finer points from him. He also supported me in other aspects, including diet and training expenses.
Who is your go-to man when things get tough?
I do all the thinking myself. Since I have faced tough times, and every sportsperson goes through such times, I know it will pass. If I think too much, it will only affect my performance. Positive thinking comes to me naturally.
Having medalled at the World Championships, where do you rank yourself in the run-up to the 2024 Olympics?
By the time the Olympics come, I will have grown enough to become a champion. I will improve day by day and will be No. 1 by the time the Olympics begin.
