Akhil Kumar
Encyclopedia
Akhil Kumar is an Indian boxer who has won several international and national boxing awards. He practices an “Open Guarded” boxing style. In 2005, the Indian government gave him the Arjuna Award for his achievements in international Boxing. The Arjuna Award is the highest recognition the Indian Government gives to sportsmen.
Akhil Kumar was born in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh on 27 March 1981. He started boxing at 13. His first fight at “School State level Boxing” was in Haryana.
in Guangzhou
, PR China. In the final he lost to Uzbekistan's Tulashboy Doniyorov
. At the Olympics 2004
, he lost in the first round to Jerome Thomas.
In 2005, Kumar won the gold medal at the 4th Commonwealth Federation Boxing Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He defeated Bongani Mahalangu of South Africa by a narrow margin of 18-17 in the 54 kg final.
, he won the gold medal in the Bantamweight 54 kg category by edging out Nigerian Nestor Bolum
and defeating Mauritian Bruno Julie
in the final.
He landed six unanswered blows in the opening round of the final. The second round was quite even, with Kumar winning 5-4. He did slightly better in round 3, winning it 6-4, and despite losing the final round 3-4, succeeded in avoiding the single punch that might have cost him the tie.
, at the Asian boxing qualifying tournament in Bangkok
.
At the Olympic event, he made his way to the second round in the Bantamweight 54 kg category beating Frenchman Ali Hallab
on points 12-5. In the round of 16, he controversially beat current World Champion Sergey Vodopyanov
, coming from 2-6 down in the second round of the bout. The score was tied 9-9 at the end of the fourth round but the judges' decided in Kumar's favor because he landed a greater number of punches. He lost 3-10 to Veaceslav Gojan
of Moldova
in the quarter finals on August 18, 2008.
one Silver, and four Bronze medals.
He won gold medal in the Bantamweight 54 kg category at the 2006 Commonwealth Games by edging out Nigerian Nestor Bolum and defeating Mauritian Bruno Julie in the final.
2008 Beijing Olympics and AIBA World Cup
Kumar qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games by beating, among others, the silver medalist from the 2004 Summer Olympics, Worapoj Petchkoom, at the Asian boxing qualifying tournament in Bangkok.
At the Olympic event, he made his way to the second round in the Bantamweight 54 kg category beating Frenchman Ali Hallab on points 12-5. In round 16, he beat current World Champion Sergey Vodopyanov, coming from 2-6 down in the second round of the bout. The score was tied 9-9 at the end of the fourth round, but the judges decided in Kumar's favor because he landed more punches. He lost 3-10 to Veaceslav Gojan of Moldova in the quarter finals on August 18, 2008.
In AIBA World Cup 2008 held at Moscow, Kumar Beat Marcel Schinder of Germany in quarterfinals with a marvelous margin of 15-6. In the semifinals the final score was equal, 4-4, but this time, the judges awarded the match to his opponent. Kumar won a Bronze.
Champions of Champion tournament February 2009, China Bronze
World Amateur Men Boxing Championship Milan, Italy, September 2009 Participation
World Cup 2008 Moscow Bronze
Beijing Olympic Boxing 2008 China Quarter Finalist
Beijing olympic Boxing Qualifyng feb. 2008 Bangkok Gold ( Best Boxer )
24th Sr. Asian Boxing championship June 2007 Mongolia Bronze
15th Asian Games Dec. 2006 Doha Participate
SAF Games Dec. 2006 colombo gold
18th commonwealth Games march 2006 melbourne gold
13th world boxing championship nov. 2005 china Participate
4th commonwealth boxing championship Aug. 2005 Scotland gold
Athens olympic Aug. 2004 Athens Participate
Pre, olympic Aug. May 2004 athens Bronze
"china Unicom" March 2004 ( Athens olympic boxing Qualifing ) china silver
1st AFRO- Asian games nov. 2003 Hyderabad gold
3rd commonwealth boxing championship Sep. 2003 Malaysia Bronze
12th world boxing championship July 2003 Thailand participate
Sr.International Boxing Championship Uzbekistan gold
2nd Eduardo Garcia International Tournament June 2003 Cuba gold (Best boxer)
36th Geraldo cordova cardin boxing Tournament May 2003 Cuba participate
Felicia stamm International Tournament April 2002 Poland participate
Regatta boxing championship Sep.2002 Seychelles gold (Best boxer )
21st Asian boxing championship June 2002 Malaysia participate
25th kings cup April 2002 Thailand participate
Prof. Dr. Anwar chaudhary cup March 2002 Azerbaijan participate
11th International boxing tournament Sep. 2002 Russia gold
4th Brandenburg cup Aug. 1999 Germany Bronze
6th Y. M. C. A. International boxing championship March 1999. Delhi Gold
(ref: http://www.akhilkumarboxer.com/achi.htm)
----
Kumar once said, “For winning you might have to hit your opponent more and harder, but you also get hit...victory or defeat, both come with pain.”
Outside the ring, Kumar leads a simple life. By beating the world’s top bantamweight boxer, Kumar gained popularity in India, even though he lost the next match. His attitude impressed many, when after his victory he said, “Dreams aren’t those which we see in our sleep. Dreams are those which don’t let us sleep.”(1)
He lost in the quarterfinals, but retained his popularity. Several weeks after the Olympics came to a close, Kumar admits he still feels the pain of the loss, retains his confidence. He says the person he idolises is himself. Kumar says that, though he won the hearts of the Indian people, “The fact is that I am a loser, I didn’t win the Gold.” According to Kumar, recovery will only start by winning a Gold medal in the coming Commonwealth Games and World Championships: “There is only one medal which is hard-earned — gold. Others are won by luck and destiny.” He says that’s one of the main reasons that Abhinav Bindra
is an Indian hero. Speaking of remaining positive after a loss, he said, “I am very selective of the information I want to receive, and of the people and company I have around. That has made a lot of difference.” He says he is blessed with a quality to filter out unwanted things. “I like to read and watch inspirational and dedicative stories. That is my way of looking at things,” says Kumar.
The Faizabad-born athlete says that boxing is an addiction, but with consequences: “For winning you might have to hit your opponent more and harder, but you also get hit. Victory or defeat, both come with pain.”
As senior boxer on the Indian contingent, Akhil kept his chin, up even in distress: “The way I conduct myself will obviously rub off on my junior colleagues.”
He is happy that Indian boxing finally broke the medal barrier. He says to younger boxers like Jitender and Vijender: “Don’t win the medal, just snatch it.”
Boxing has gained new attention in India. “Since most of us come from the hinterland, no one knew what we were capable of,” explains Kumar.
Kumar says he is happy about the inclusion of women boxing in the 2012 London Olympics. "We have very good talents in women boxing and can hope for medals in the London Games...but we males lose out four gold medals categories to accommodate the women."
Kumar is unhappy about changes in the scoring system and feel that it has made the sport easy and unattractive. "In past, boxing was remembered for the style and grandeur of the greats (like Muhammad Ali) but with the changes everybody has to be on their guard during the bout."
When asked about the recent controversy over the trial system in shooting (Bindra), Kumar said both party were right for their reasons. "Trials are always important, it gives the opportunity for lesser known athletes to showcase their talents and earn their place in national squad, but the case with Bindra was little different, he is an Olympic champion and has been performing exceedingly well at the international level, so you can't ignore him for the squad."
Akhil Kumar was born in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh on 27 March 1981. He started boxing at 13. His first fight at “School State level Boxing” was in Haryana.
2004–2005
Kumar qualified for the Athens Games by winning second place at the 1st AIBA Asian 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament1st AIBA Asian 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament
The 1st AIBA Asian 2004 Olympic Boxing Qualifying Tournament was held in Guangzhou, PR China from March 18 to March 23, 2004. It was the first chance for amateur boxers from Asia to qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics after the 2004 Asian Amateur Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa,...
in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, PR China. In the final he lost to Uzbekistan's Tulashboy Doniyorov
Tulashboy Doniyorov
Tulashboy Doniyorov is a boxer from Uzbekistan, who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics for his native Asian country.-Career:2002 at the Asian Games he was eliminated in the first round by Filipino Violito Payla....
. At the Olympics 2004
Boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Flyweight
The Flyweight class in the boxing at the 2004 Summer Olympics competition was the second-lightest class. Flyweights were limited to those boxers weighing more than 51 kilograms.-Medalists:-Schedule:-Results:-References:*...
, he lost in the first round to Jerome Thomas.
In 2005, Kumar won the gold medal at the 4th Commonwealth Federation Boxing Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He defeated Bongani Mahalangu of South Africa by a narrow margin of 18-17 in the 54 kg final.
2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games
In the 2006 Commonwealth Games2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
, he won the gold medal in the Bantamweight 54 kg category by edging out Nigerian Nestor Bolum
Nestor Bolum
Nestor Bolum is a boxer from Nigeria, who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics for his native West African country.-Career:...
and defeating Mauritian Bruno Julie
Bruno Julie
Bruno Julie is a bantamweight boxer from Mauritius who won a number of medals in international tournaments and competed in the 2008 Olympics when he won the first-ever Olympic medal for the island of Mauritius-Career:...
in the final.
He landed six unanswered blows in the opening round of the final. The second round was quite even, with Kumar winning 5-4. He did slightly better in round 3, winning it 6-4, and despite losing the final round 3-4, succeeded in avoiding the single punch that might have cost him the tie.
2008 Beijing Olympics
Kumar qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games, beating among others, the silver medallist from the 2004 Summer Olympics, Worapoj PetchkoomWorapoj Petchkoom
Worapoj Petchkoom is a Thai boxer who competed in the bantamweight at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the silver medal losing to Cuban superstar Guillermo Rigondeaux. He qualified for the Athens Games by ending up in first place in the 2nd AIBA Asian 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in...
, at the Asian boxing qualifying tournament in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
.
At the Olympic event, he made his way to the second round in the Bantamweight 54 kg category beating Frenchman Ali Hallab
Ali Hallab
Ali Hallab is a boxer from France. He is best known for having won the bronze medal at the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships.-Career:...
on points 12-5. In the round of 16, he controversially beat current World Champion Sergey Vodopyanov
Sergey Vodopyanov
Sergey Vodopyanov is a Russian amateur boxer best known to win gold in bantamweight Class at the2007 World Amateur Boxing Championships.- 2004 - 2006 :...
, coming from 2-6 down in the second round of the bout. The score was tied 9-9 at the end of the fourth round but the judges' decided in Kumar's favor because he landed a greater number of punches. He lost 3-10 to Veaceslav Gojan
Veaceslav Gojan
Veaceslav Gojan is an Moldovan amateur boxer who won Bantamweight bronze at the 2008 Olympics. He comes from the village of Grimăncăuţi, district of Briceni and is a member of the Central Sport Club Dinamo in Chişinău...
of Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
in the quarter finals on August 18, 2008.
1994–2004
Kumar first competed in International boxing in 1999, winning a Gold medal in the 6th YMCA. Junior International Boxing Championship. In 2001 he won another gold medal in the International Invitational Boxing Championship in Russia. In 2003, he won a Gold medal in the flyweight category by defeating Vilitio M Payla (Php) by 20-16. He won a Best Boxer Award three times, in additions to twelve Gold,one Silver, and four Bronze medals.
2004–2006
At the 2004 Olympics he lost in the first round to Jerome Thomas. In 2005, he won the gold medal at the 4th Commonwealth Boxing Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. He narrowly defeated Bongani Mahalangu of South Africa by 18-17 in the 54 kg final. Kumar received the Arjuna Award in 2005.He won gold medal in the Bantamweight 54 kg category at the 2006 Commonwealth Games by edging out Nigerian Nestor Bolum and defeating Mauritian Bruno Julie in the final.
2008 Beijing Olympics and AIBA World Cup
Kumar qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games by beating, among others, the silver medalist from the 2004 Summer Olympics, Worapoj Petchkoom, at the Asian boxing qualifying tournament in Bangkok.
At the Olympic event, he made his way to the second round in the Bantamweight 54 kg category beating Frenchman Ali Hallab on points 12-5. In round 16, he beat current World Champion Sergey Vodopyanov, coming from 2-6 down in the second round of the bout. The score was tied 9-9 at the end of the fourth round, but the judges decided in Kumar's favor because he landed more punches. He lost 3-10 to Veaceslav Gojan of Moldova in the quarter finals on August 18, 2008.
In AIBA World Cup 2008 held at Moscow, Kumar Beat Marcel Schinder of Germany in quarterfinals with a marvelous margin of 15-6. In the semifinals the final score was equal, 4-4, but this time, the judges awarded the match to his opponent. Kumar won a Bronze.
Achievements
Tournament Venue PerformanceChampions of Champion tournament February 2009, China Bronze
World Amateur Men Boxing Championship Milan, Italy, September 2009 Participation
World Cup 2008 Moscow Bronze
Beijing Olympic Boxing 2008 China Quarter Finalist
Beijing olympic Boxing Qualifyng feb. 2008 Bangkok Gold ( Best Boxer )
24th Sr. Asian Boxing championship June 2007 Mongolia Bronze
15th Asian Games Dec. 2006 Doha Participate
SAF Games Dec. 2006 colombo gold
18th commonwealth Games march 2006 melbourne gold
13th world boxing championship nov. 2005 china Participate
4th commonwealth boxing championship Aug. 2005 Scotland gold
Athens olympic Aug. 2004 Athens Participate
Pre, olympic Aug. May 2004 athens Bronze
"china Unicom" March 2004 ( Athens olympic boxing Qualifing ) china silver
1st AFRO- Asian games nov. 2003 Hyderabad gold
3rd commonwealth boxing championship Sep. 2003 Malaysia Bronze
12th world boxing championship July 2003 Thailand participate
Sr.International Boxing Championship Uzbekistan gold
2nd Eduardo Garcia International Tournament June 2003 Cuba gold (Best boxer)
36th Geraldo cordova cardin boxing Tournament May 2003 Cuba participate
Felicia stamm International Tournament April 2002 Poland participate
Regatta boxing championship Sep.2002 Seychelles gold (Best boxer )
21st Asian boxing championship June 2002 Malaysia participate
25th kings cup April 2002 Thailand participate
Prof. Dr. Anwar chaudhary cup March 2002 Azerbaijan participate
11th International boxing tournament Sep. 2002 Russia gold
4th Brandenburg cup Aug. 1999 Germany Bronze
6th Y. M. C. A. International boxing championship March 1999. Delhi Gold
(ref: http://www.akhilkumarboxer.com/achi.htm)
----
Kumar once said, “For winning you might have to hit your opponent more and harder, but you also get hit...victory or defeat, both come with pain.”
Outside the ring, Kumar leads a simple life. By beating the world’s top bantamweight boxer, Kumar gained popularity in India, even though he lost the next match. His attitude impressed many, when after his victory he said, “Dreams aren’t those which we see in our sleep. Dreams are those which don’t let us sleep.”(1)
He lost in the quarterfinals, but retained his popularity. Several weeks after the Olympics came to a close, Kumar admits he still feels the pain of the loss, retains his confidence. He says the person he idolises is himself. Kumar says that, though he won the hearts of the Indian people, “The fact is that I am a loser, I didn’t win the Gold.” According to Kumar, recovery will only start by winning a Gold medal in the coming Commonwealth Games and World Championships: “There is only one medal which is hard-earned — gold. Others are won by luck and destiny.” He says that’s one of the main reasons that Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Singh Bindra is an Indian shooter from Zirakpur, Mohali, Punjab and is the current World and Olympic champion in the 10 m Air Rifle event...
is an Indian hero. Speaking of remaining positive after a loss, he said, “I am very selective of the information I want to receive, and of the people and company I have around. That has made a lot of difference.” He says he is blessed with a quality to filter out unwanted things. “I like to read and watch inspirational and dedicative stories. That is my way of looking at things,” says Kumar.
The Faizabad-born athlete says that boxing is an addiction, but with consequences: “For winning you might have to hit your opponent more and harder, but you also get hit. Victory or defeat, both come with pain.”
As senior boxer on the Indian contingent, Akhil kept his chin, up even in distress: “The way I conduct myself will obviously rub off on my junior colleagues.”
He is happy that Indian boxing finally broke the medal barrier. He says to younger boxers like Jitender and Vijender: “Don’t win the medal, just snatch it.”
Boxing has gained new attention in India. “Since most of us come from the hinterland, no one knew what we were capable of,” explains Kumar.
Kumar says he is happy about the inclusion of women boxing in the 2012 London Olympics. "We have very good talents in women boxing and can hope for medals in the London Games...but we males lose out four gold medals categories to accommodate the women."
Kumar is unhappy about changes in the scoring system and feel that it has made the sport easy and unattractive. "In past, boxing was remembered for the style and grandeur of the greats (like Muhammad Ali) but with the changes everybody has to be on their guard during the bout."
When asked about the recent controversy over the trial system in shooting (Bindra), Kumar said both party were right for their reasons. "Trials are always important, it gives the opportunity for lesser known athletes to showcase their talents and earn their place in national squad, but the case with Bindra was little different, he is an Olympic champion and has been performing exceedingly well at the international level, so you can't ignore him for the squad."
Mixed martial arts record
 Pratap Ramsing |
Bombay WOFF Open x10 | Bombay, India |
|||||||
| Loss | 7-0 | Mashal Mi Koo |
KO | Bombay WOFF Open 7 | 1 | 1:01 | Bombay |
For WEC Bantamweight Championship and UFC Bantamweight Championship | |
| Win | 6-0 |  Brad Otto |
KO | 1 | 0:31 | Goa Goa Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its... |
Won Fight of the Night | ||
| Win | 5-0 | Anto Singh |
KO | Open Goa x10 - sh | 1 | 1:11 | Goa Goa Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its... |
||
| Win | 4-0 | Mastek George |
KO | Mrr25 Bombay | 1 | 0:23 | Bombay |
||
| Win | 3-0 |  Takei Yamota |
Decision (Unanimous) | WFFX India | 2 | 0:05 | Bombay |
Won Fight of the Night | |
| Win | 2-0 | Noahsh Pradesha |
KO (Headkick) | YXX TIGER GATE | 1 | 1:09 | New Dehli |