Driven by father’s dream, boxer Vishvanath tailormade for glory

CHENNAI : A dream his father once nurtured now lives on through Vishvanath Suresh, unfolding one step at a time. The 21-yr-old, son of a former boxer-turned-tailor, clinched gold in the 50kg category at the recently-concluded Asian Boxing Championships, emerging as the only Indian male to stand atop the podium.

En route to the title, the Tamil Nadu pugilist produced a defining moment in the quarterfinals, taking down the reigning world champion and world No. 1 Sanzhar Tashkenbay. In his first major senior triumph, Vishvanath show-cased striking consistency, winning every bout by unanimous decision.




“This is a very big achievement, and the medal will boost my confidence ahead of the Commonwealth and Asian Games. I was consistent and in the quarterfinals I did not think of my opponent as a world champion. Had I done so, I might have come under pressure. To me, he was just another boxer, and I was confident about my own abilities.

“After every round (in quarters), my confidence grew, and in the final round, I knocked him to the ground. Soon after the result, I knew I was going to win gold,” Vishvanath, who is a Havildar in the Indian Army, told TOI.

Behind this achievement lies a strong foundation built by father, Suresh, who steered him towards the sport. A former national-level medallist and a promising boxer in the 1990s, Suresh had set aside his own ambitions to shoulder responsibilities. After passing the fundamentals to his son, he searched for the right platform to nurture his talent.

The journey was not easy. Vishvanath’s slight build led to multiple rejections, including from the Madras Engineer Group in Bengaluru. But perseverance opened doors, as he finally earned selection at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune in 2018. He earned his first major recognition by winning gold at the Asian Youth Championships in 2022.

“I started competing in seniors in 2023 and patiently waited for my chance. I prepared myself and put in a lot of hard work in the last few years and that helped me become a national champion in Jan and then clinched the Asian Championships convincingly,” added Vishvanath, whose ultimate goal is to win gold at the Olympics.

For the Asian and GWG Games, Vishvanath will have to move up to the 55kg Olympic weight category. He believes that it will not be difficult and he is ready to prove himself in the trials if selected. Having trained and sparred with the 55kg division pugilists, he is confident that the shift will not pose a major challenge.
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