Like his idol Mike Tyson’s soft and squeaky voice, Surinder Singh’s 5-3″ 48 kg frame is often misleading. Always a small kid, on the lean side, Surinder was never a natural contender for a boxing title.
Fifteen-year-old,Surinder has won 2 silver medals and 2 bronze medals at the National Sub-Junior level. It all started two years ago, when he enrolled at the Boxing Coaching Centre, Sports Complex, Sector-42, Chandigarh. By the time he won a silver medal at the National Sub Junior Championship held at Spatu in 2005, his hunger to strive for best performance had begun. Later on he followed up with another silver at the National Championship held in Chattisgarh and bronze in the National Sub Junior Championship held in Jharkhand in December 2006.
“Boxing is something which has always fascinated me since my childhood days.” explains Surinder, who currently competes in the Light Fly weight category and has just appeared for class X exams from Guru Nanak Khalsa School, Sector-30, Chandigarh. “The game has more individuality to it and also it teaches one to be aggressive as well as defensive at the same time” quips the young boxer. But the road till here was not easy for Surinder. Coming from a poor background, his father being a peon at the Punjab Tubewell Corporation, there was always a cash constraint for Surinder. “When I started I did not even have my own single pair of gloves. We used to train with the Centre’s equipment and practiced bare handed at home.” Recalls Surinder. The situation has changed a little bit as his school now provides him gloves during important tournaments. Ask him about his dream possession and he replies candidly “Of course my own pair of Green Hill gloves and a pair of boxing shoes.” His coach at the Boxing Coaching Centre feels that Surinder’s game is a right mix of attack and defence. “One of his biggest assets is that of good attacking position and style which helps him a lot during a bout. He only has to work upon the counter attack aspect of his game to take it to the higher level” says his coach.